Westwood Holdings Group Inc. Invests $1.66 Million in Pool Corporation $POOL

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 5,704 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,663,000.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Berkshire Hathaway Inc boosted its position in shares of Pool by 136.3% in the 2nd quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc now owns 3,458,885 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,008,196,000 after purchasing an additional 1,994,885 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Pool by 8.7% in the first quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 54,614 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $17,387,000 after buying an additional 4,351 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its stake in Pool by 224.7% in the second quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 61,696 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $17,983,000 after buying an additional 42,696 shares during the period. Geneva Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Pool by 11.1% during the second quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 96,966 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,264,000 after buying an additional 9,673 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Achmea Investment Management B.V. increased its stake in shares of Pool by 37.5% in the 2nd quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 4,480 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,305,000 after acquiring an additional 1,221 shares during the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pool Stock Down 0.8%

Pool stock opened at $238.34 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $261.96 and a 200-day moving average of $292.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 2.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. Pool Corporation has a twelve month low of $229.63 and a twelve month high of $374.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.88 billion, a PE ratio of 21.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.51 and a beta of 1.23.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $3.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.38 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.46 billion. Pool had a net margin of 7.77% and a return on equity of 31.40%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.26 earnings per share. Pool has set its FY 2025 guidance at 10.700-11.200 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Pool Corporation will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th were issued a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 12th. Pool’s payout ratio is 45.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Pool in a research note on Monday, December 8th. William Blair reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Pool in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. KeyCorp started coverage on shares of Pool in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. They issued a “sector weight” rating for the company. Guggenheim started coverage on Pool in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Pool from $320.00 to $250.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $327.86.

About Pool

Pool Corporation distributes swimming pool supplies, equipment, and related leisure products in the United States and internationally. The company offers maintenance products, including chemicals, supplies, and pool accessories; repair and replacement parts for pool equipment, such as cleaners, filters, heaters, pumps, and lights; and building materials, such as concrete, plumbing and electrical components, functional and decorative pool surfaces, decking materials, tiles, hardscapes, and natural stones for pool installations and remodeling.