London Co. of Virginia Trims Stake in Pool Corporation $POOL

London Co. of Virginia lowered its stake in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 8.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 433,463 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 37,815 shares during the quarter. London Co. of Virginia’s holdings in Pool were worth $99,156,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. State of Wisconsin Investment Board grew its holdings in Pool by 28.2% in the fourth quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board now owns 43,434 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $9,936,000 after purchasing an additional 9,550 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its holdings in Pool by 149.5% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 11,599 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,653,000 after purchasing an additional 6,950 shares during the period. &PARTNERS grew its holdings in Pool by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. &PARTNERS now owns 10,003 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,246,000 after purchasing an additional 861 shares during the period. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Pool in the fourth quarter worth about $5,018,000. Finally, Magnetar Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Pool in the fourth quarter worth about $1,728,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool Stock Up 3.7%

Shares of Pool stock opened at $198.08 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $7.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.10. The company’s 50 day moving average is $198.15 and its 200 day moving average is $222.38. Pool Corporation has a twelve month low of $172.68 and a twelve month high of $345.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Pool had a net margin of 7.57% and a return on equity of 32.37%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.32 earnings per share. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Pool Corporation will post 11.08 EPS for the current year.

Pool declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, April 29th that allows the company to repurchase $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty retailer to purchase up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 14th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. This is a positive change from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 14th. Pool’s payout ratio is currently 47.84%.

Insider Activity at Pool

In related news, Director David G. Whalen acquired 525 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The shares were bought at an average price of $190.44 per share, for a total transaction of $99,981.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 8,936 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,701,771.84. This trade represents a 6.24% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director James D. Hope purchased 464 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $194.41 per share, for a total transaction of $90,206.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $715,039.98. This trade represents a 14.44% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have purchased 21,989 shares of company stock worth $4,042,747 in the last three months. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on POOL. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Pool from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $246.00 price objective on shares of Pool in a report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Pool from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Pool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Pool from $240.00 to $210.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 11th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Pool has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $261.38.

Pool News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Most of the recent headlines are unrelated to Pool Corporation and focus on the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool algae issue, so they do not appear to materially affect POOL’s business outlook or earnings trajectory.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles reference other companies’ “share award pools” or incentive pools, but these are unrelated corporate actions from non-U.S. firms and are not meaningful catalysts for Pool Corporation.
• Neutral Sentiment: One private-equity announcement about forming a platform for pool service brands could be mildly supportive for the broader pool-services industry, but it does not directly involve Pool Corporation or change its near-term operating outlook.

Pool Profile

Pool Corporation is a leading wholesale distributor of swimming pool supplies, equipment, and related outdoor living products. Headquartered in Covington, Louisiana, the company serves a diverse customer base that includes service professionals, independent retailers, high-volume builders, and national retail chains. Pool Corporation’s extensive branch network enables it to maintain strong local customer relationships while leveraging its scale to source products efficiently from manufacturers around the world.

The company’s product portfolio spans pool and spa chemicals, water treatment equipment, pumps, filters, heaters, automation and control systems, liners, safety covers, and cleaning accessories.