Inspire Investing LLC Increases Position in Pool Corporation $POOL

Inspire Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 1,203.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,895 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 11,906 shares during the quarter. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in Pool were worth $2,950,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Pool by 20.0% during the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 270 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Wealthspire Advisors LLC lifted its position in Pool by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 1,051 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. lifted its position in Pool by 6.4% during the third quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. now owns 886 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $275,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Pool by 4.8% during the second quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,163 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in Pool by 78.6% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 125 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

POOL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Pool from $240.00 to $210.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Pool from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on shares of Pool from $346.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Pool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Pool from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Four investment 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $261.38.

Key Pool News

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles are centered on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool algae issue and related political coverage, which is unrelated to Pool Corporation’s business and is unlikely to have a direct impact on POOL shares.
• Neutral Sentiment: No company-specific earnings, guidance, analyst, or acquisition news was included in the latest headlines, so the stock’s move appears more likely tied to broader market sentiment than a fundamental update for Pool Corporation.

Pool Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of Pool stock opened at $194.34 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $197.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $222.02. The company has a market cap of $7.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.10. Pool Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $172.68 and a fifty-two week high of $345.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 1.87.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion during 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 company’s revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.32 earnings per share. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Pool Corporation will post 11.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 14th were given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is an increase 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%.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David G. Whalen acquired 525 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The stock was acquired 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 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez acquired 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $175.95 per share, with a total value of $1,759,500.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 40,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,057,002.60. This trade represents a 33.21% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 21,989 shares of company stock worth $4,042,747. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.