Southpoint Capital Advisors LP Has $101.17 Million Stake in Pool Corporation $POOL

Southpoint Capital Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 66.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 500,000 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 200,000 shares during the period. Pool makes up 2.1% of Southpoint Capital Advisors LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP owned about 1.37% of Pool worth $101,165,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Pool in the 1st quarter worth approximately $400,000. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in Pool by 237.9% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 17,390 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $5,536,000 after purchasing an additional 12,244 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in Pool during the first quarter worth $639,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Pool by 164.4% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 156 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Pool by 201.2% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,012 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $639,000 after buying an additional 1,344 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on POOL. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Pool from $226.00 to $206.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 20th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Pool from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on Pool from $280.00 to $227.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Zacks Research upgraded Pool from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Pool from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Five 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, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $235.67.

Insider Activity at Pool

In related news, Director James D. Hope bought 464 shares of Pool stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $194.41 per share, for a total transaction of $90,206.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $715,039.98. This trade represents a 14.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director David G. Whalen purchased 525 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $190.44 per share, for a total transaction of $99,981.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 8,936 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,701,771.84. The trade was a 6.24% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have acquired 21,989 shares of company stock worth $4,042,747 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Pool Stock Up 0.5%

NASDAQ POOL opened at $184.61 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $6.73 billion, a PE ratio of 16.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.05. Pool Corporation has a one year low of $172.68 and a one year high of $336.15. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $196.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $215.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 2.67 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $5.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.33 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 32.74% and a net margin of 7.40%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $5.17 EPS. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.660-10.960 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Pool Corporation will post 10.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 is a positive change from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.84%.

Pool declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, April 29th that permits the company to repurchase $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the specialty retailer to purchase up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.