Inspire Investing LLC Grows Stake in Pool Corporation $POOL

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

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter worth about $4,575,000. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated purchased a new stake in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter worth about $2,399,000. CenterBook Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter worth about $3,381,000. King Luther Capital Management Corp increased its stake in shares of Pool by 236.4% during the fourth quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 11,146 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,550,000 after purchasing an additional 7,833 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of Pool by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 293,338 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $67,101,000 after purchasing an additional 9,729 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool News Roundup

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 Stock Performance

Shares of POOL stock opened at $194.34 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $197.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $222.02. 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 Corporation has a one year low of $172.68 and a one year high of $345.00. The firm has a market cap of $7.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.10.

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

Pool declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase 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 repurchase up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th were issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is an increase from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.84%.

Insider Activity at Pool

In related news, Director David G. Whalen acquired 525 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $190.44 per share, for a total transaction of $99,981.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 8,936 shares in the company, valued at $1,701,771.84. The trade was a 6.24% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director John E. Stokely acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $193.06 per share, for a total transaction of $193,060.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 16,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,133,363.80. The trade was a 6.57% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have bought 21,989 shares of company stock valued at $4,042,747. 3.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on POOL. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of Pool from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Pool from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Pool from $240.00 to $210.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Pool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $261.38.

Pool Company 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.