Waverly Advisors LLC Acquires 9,295 Shares of Pool Corporation $POOL

Waverly Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 979.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,244 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,295 shares during the period. Waverly Advisors LLC’s holdings in Pool were worth $2,073,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in POOL. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new position in Pool in the 1st quarter worth about $400,000. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in Pool by 237.9% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 17,390 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $5,536,000 after buying an additional 12,244 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in Pool during the 1st quarter valued at about $639,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Pool by 164.4% during the first 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 position in shares of Pool by 201.2% during the first 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. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Pool Trading Down 1.4%

POOL stock opened at $190.68 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.95 billion, a PE ratio of 17.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 2.67. Pool Corporation has a one year low of $172.68 and a one year high of $336.15. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $196.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $214.64.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $5.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.33 by $0.05. Pool had a net margin of 7.40% and a return on equity of 32.74%. The company had revenue of $1.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.17 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.660-10.960 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Pool Corporation will post 10.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Pool Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 13th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.84%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director David G. Whalen bought 525 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The stock was bought at an average price of $190.44 per share, with a total value of $99,981.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 8,936 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,701,771.84. The trade was a 6.24% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director James D. Hope bought 464 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $194.41 per share, with a total value of $90,206.24. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,678 shares in the company, valued at $715,039.98. This trade represents a 14.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders bought a total of 21,989 shares of company stock valued at $4,042,747 over the last three months. 3.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Pool from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $185.00 target price on shares of Pool in a research note on Friday, July 24th. 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 report on Wednesday, April 8th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Pool from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Pool from $235.00 to $189.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 24th. 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $235.67.

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.