pool-20240331

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q


☒			QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2024


☐			TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from to

Commission File Number: 0-26640


POOL CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware		36-3943363
(State or other jurisdiction of		(I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization)		Identification No.)

109 Northpark Boulevard,
Covington,	Louisiana	70433-5001
(Address of principal executive offices)		(Zip Code)

(985) 892-5521

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:


Title of each class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share	POOL	Nasdaq Global Select Market

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulations S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer

Accelerated filer

☐

Non-accelerated filer

Smaller reporting company

☐

Emerging growth company

☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No x

As of April 24, 2024, there were 38,328,780 shares of common stock outstanding.

POOL CORPORATION

Form 10-Q

For the Quarter Ended March 31, 2024

TABLE OF CONTENTS



			Page
PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

	Item 1. Financial Statements (Unaudited)

		Consolidated Statements of Income	1
		Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income	2
		Consolidated Balance Sheets	3
		Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows	4
		Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity	5
		Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements	6

	Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations		13

	Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk		25

	Item 4. Controls and Procedures		25

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

	Item 1. Legal Proceedings		26

	Item 1A. Risk Factors		26

	Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds		26

	Item 5. Other Information		26

	Item 6. Exhibits		27

SIGNATURE			28

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements

POOL CORPORATION

Consolidated Statements of Income

(Unaudited)

(In thousands, except per share data)


	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
	2024		2023
Net sales	$	1,120,810	$	1,206,774
Cost of sales	782,250		837,019
Gross profit	338,560		369,755
Selling and administrative expenses	229,840		223,984

Operating income	108,720		145,771
Interest and other non-operating expenses, net	13,419		15,835
Income before income taxes and equity in earnings	95,301		129,936
Provision for income taxes	16,473		28,273
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated investments, net	57		36


Net income	$	78,885	$	101,699


Earnings per share attributable to common stockholders:
Basic	$	2.05	$	2.60
Diluted	$	2.04	$	2.58
Weighted average common shares outstanding:
Basic	38,205		38,877
Diluted	38,467		39,189

Cash dividends declared per common share	$	1.10	$	1.00

The accompanying Notes are an integral part of the Consolidated Financial Statements.

POOL CORPORATION

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

(Unaudited)

(In thousands)


	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
	2024		2023
Net income	$	78,885	$	101,699
Other comprehensive (loss) income:
Foreign currency translation (loss) gain	(3,668)		2,469
Unrealized gain (loss) on interest rate swaps, net of the change in taxes of $(742) and $1,269	2,226		(3,809)
Total other comprehensive loss	(1,442)		(1,340)
Comprehensive income	$	77,443	$	100,359

The accompanying Notes are an integral part of the Consolidated Financial Statements.

POOL CORPORATION

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(In thousands, except share data)


	March 31,		March 31,		December 31,
	2024		2023		2023
	(Unaudited)		(Unaudited)		(Audited)
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	67,974	$	26,470	$	66,540
Receivables, net	150,240		163,048		145,723
Receivables pledged under receivables facility	376,935		401,123		197,187
Product inventories, net	1,496,947		1,686,683		1,365,466
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	44,521		27,875		40,444
Total current assets	2,136,617		2,305,199		1,815,360

Property and equipment, net	230,423		200,997		223,929
Goodwill	699,424		693,242		700,078
Other intangible assets, net	296,494		303,753		298,282
Equity interest investments	1,350		1,206		1,305
Operating lease assets	308,593		274,428		305,688
Other assets	85,926		84,004		83,426
Total assets	$	3,758,827	$	3,862,829	$	3,428,068

Liabilities and stockholders’ equity
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	$	907,806	$	739,749	$	508,672
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	99,557		126,093		134,676
Short-term borrowings and current portion of long-term debt	36,655		33,080		38,203
Current operating lease liabilities	92,162		78,498		89,215
Total current liabilities	1,136,180		977,420		770,766

Deferred income taxes	68,904		57,868		67,421
Long-term debt, net	942,522		1,332,670		1,015,117
Other long-term liabilities	42,807		37,623		40,028
Non-current operating lease liabilities	222,730		200,498		221,949
Total liabilities	2,413,143		2,606,079		2,115,281



Stockholders’ equity:
Common stock, $0.001 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized; 38,462,331, 39,032,631 and 38,354,829 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2024, March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2023, respectively	38		39		38
Additional paid-in capital	620,278		586,595		606,177
Retained earnings	720,228		665,561		699,990
Accumulated other comprehensive income	5,140		4,555		6,582
Total stockholders’ equity	1,345,684		1,256,750		1,312,787
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$	3,758,827	$	3,862,829	$	3,428,068

The accompanying Notes are an integral part of the Consolidated Financial Statements.

POOL CORPORATION

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(Unaudited)

(In thousands)


	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
	2024		2023
Operating activities
Net income	$	78,885	$	101,699
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation	8,661		7,632
Amortization	2,088		2,135
Share-based compensation	5,328		4,923

Equity in earnings of unconsolidated investments, net	(57)		(36)

Other	(853)		2,732
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effects of acquisitions:
Receivables	(181,705)		(211,015)
Product inventories	(133,249)		(96,011)
Prepaid expenses and other assets	15,741		(5,786)
Accounts payable	401,384		332,800
Accrued expenses and other liabilities	(50,781)		(35,870)
Net cash provided by operating activities	145,442		103,203

Investing activities
Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired	(1,348)		(1,760)
Purchases of property and equipment, net of sale proceeds	(17,038)		(15,570)


Other investments, net	(566)		(230)
Net cash used in investing activities	(18,952)		(17,560)

Financing activities
Proceeds from revolving line of credit	228,400		256,079
Payments on revolving line of credit	(365,500)		(376,895)

Payments on term loan under credit facility	(6,250)		—
Proceeds from asset-backed financing	208,600		151,200
Payments on asset-backed financing	(138,000)		(51,100)
Payments on term facility	—		(2,313)
Proceeds from short-term borrowings and current portion of long-term debt	14		3,011
Payments on short-term borrowings and current portion of long-term debt	(1,561)		(1,223)

Payments of deferred and contingent acquisition consideration	—		(551)


Proceeds from stock issued under share-based compensation plans	8,773		5,896
Payments of cash dividends	(42,334)		(39,073)
Repurchases of common stock	(16,304)		(50,549)
Net cash used in financing activities	(124,162)		(105,518)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	(894)		754
Change in cash and cash equivalents	1,434		(19,121)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	66,540		45,591
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$	67,974	$	26,470

The accompanying Notes are an integral part of the Consolidated Financial Statements.

POOL CORPORATION

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity

(Unaudited)

(In thousands)


	Common Stock			Additional Paid-In		Retained		Accumulated Other Comprehensive
	Shares	Amount		Capital		Earnings		Income		Total
Balance at December 31, 2023	38,355	$	38	$	606,177	$	699,990	$	6,582	$	1,312,787
Net income	—	—		—		78,885		—		78,885
Foreign currency translation	—	—		—		—		(3,668)		(3,668)
Interest rate swaps, net of the change in taxes of $(742)	—	—		—		—		2,226		2,226
Repurchases of common stock, net of retirements	(41)	—		—		(16,304)		—		(16,304)
Share-based compensation	—	—		5,328		—		—		5,328
Issuance of stock under share-based compensation plans	148	—		8,773		—		—		8,773
Declaration of cash dividends	—	—		—		(42,343)		—		(42,343)
Balance at March 31, 2024	38,462	$	38	$	620,278	$	720,228	$	5,140	$	1,345,684


	Common Stock			Additional Paid-In		Retained		Accumulated Other Comprehensive
	Shares	Amount		Capital		Earnings		Income		Total
Balance at December 31, 2022	39,069	$	39	$	575,776	$	653,484	$	5,895	$	1,235,194
Net income	—	—		—		101,699		—		101,699
Foreign currency translation	—	—		—		—		2,469		2,469
Interest rate swaps, net of the change in taxes of $1,269	—	—		—		—		(3,809)		(3,809)
Repurchases of common stock, net of retirements	(144)	—		—		(50,549)		—		(50,549)
Share-based compensation	—	—		4,923		—		—		4,923
Issuance of stock under share-based compensation plans	108	—		5,896		—		—		5,896
Declaration of cash dividends	—	—		—		(39,073)		—		(39,073)
Balance at March 31, 2023	39,033	$	39	$	586,595	$	665,561	$	4,555	$	1,256,750

The accompanying Notes are an integral part of the Consolidated Financial Statements.

POOL CORPORATION

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

(Unaudited)

Note 1 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Pool Corporation (the Company, which may also be referred to as we, us or our) prepared the unaudited interim Consolidated Financial Statements following U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for interim financial information. As permitted under those rules, we have condensed or omitted certain footnotes and other financial information required for complete financial statements.

The interim Consolidated Financial Statements include all normal and recurring adjustments that are necessary for a fair presentation of our financial position and operating results. All significant intercompany accounts and intercompany transactions have been eliminated.

A description of our significant accounting policies is included in our 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K. You should read the interim Consolidated Financial Statements in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes in our 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K. The results for our three-month period ended March 31, 2024, are not necessarily indicative of the expected results for our fiscal year ending December 31, 2024.

Income Taxes

We reduce federal and state income taxes payable by the tax benefits associated with the exercise of nonqualified stock options and the lapse of restrictions on restricted stock awards. To the extent realized tax deductions exceed the amount of previously recognized deferred tax benefits related to share-based compensation, we record an excess tax benefit. We record all excess tax benefits as a component of income tax benefit or expense on the Consolidated Statements of Income in the period in which stock options are exercised or restrictions on restricted stock awards lapse. We recorded excess tax benefits of $7.4 million in the first quarter of 2024 compared to $4.8 million in the first quarter of 2023.

Retained Earnings

We account for the retirement of repurchased shares as a reduction of Retained earnings. As of March 31, 2024, the Retained earnings on our Consolidated Balance Sheets reflects cumulative net income, the cumulative impact of adjustments for changes in accounting pronouncements, share retirements since the inception of our share repurchase programs of $2.5 billion and cumulative dividends of $1.2 billion.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

The table below presents the components of our Accumulated other comprehensive income balance (in thousands):


	March 31,				December 31,
	2024		2023		2023
Foreign currency translation adjustments	$	(16,367)	$	(17,139)	$	(12,699)
Unrealized gains on interest rate swaps, net of tax	21,507		21,694		19,281
Accumulated other comprehensive income	$	5,140	$	4,555	$	6,582

Recent Accounting Pronouncements Pending Adoption

The following table summarizes recent accounting pronouncements that we plan to adopt in future periods:


Standard	Description	Effective Date	Effect on Financial Statements and Other Significant Matters
Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures	In December 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued ASU 2023-09, Income Taxes- Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures, which will require enhancements and further transparency to various income tax disclosures, most notably the tax rate reconciliation and income taxes paid.	Annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024 on a prospective basis. Retrospective application for all periods presented is permitted. Early adoption is also permitted.	We are currently evaluating the effect this standard will have on our disclosures.
ASU 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures	In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07, Segment Reporting - Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures, which intends to improve reportable segment disclosures by requiring enhanced disclosures about significant segment expenses, enhance interim disclosure requirements, refine situations in which an entity can disclose multiple segment measures of profit or loss and provide advanced segment disclosure requirements for entities with a single reportable segment, as well as other disclosure requirements.	Annual periods beginning after December 15, 2023 on a retrospective basis for all periods presented. Early adoption is permitted.	We are currently evaluating the effect this standard will have on our disclosures.
ASU 2023-06, Disclosure Improvements: Codification Amendments in Response to the SEC’s Disclosure Update and Simplification Initiative	In October 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-06, Disclosure Improvements - Codification Amendments in Response to the SEC’s Disclosure Update and Simplification Initiative, which will impact various disclosure areas, including the statement of cash flows, accounting changes and error corrections, earnings per share, debt, equity, derivatives and transfers of financial assets.	The amendments in ASU 2023-06 will be effective on the date the related disclosures are removed from Regulation S-X or Regulation S-K by the SEC and will no longer be effective if the SEC has not removed the applicable disclosure requirement by June 30, 2027. Early adoption is prohibited.	We are currently evaluating the effect this standard will have on our disclosures.

Note 2 – Earnings Per Share

We calculate basic and diluted earnings per share using the two-class method. Earnings per share under the two-class method is calculated using net income attributable to common stockholders, which is net income reduced by the earnings allocated to participating securities. Our participating securities include share-based payment awards that contain a non-forfeitable right to receive dividends and are considered to participate in undistributed earnings with common shareholders. Participating securities excluded from weighted average common shares outstanding were 205,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 213,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2023.

The table below presents the computation of earnings per share, including the reconciliation of basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding (in thousands, except per share data):


	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
		2024		2023
Net income		$	78,885	$	101,699
Amounts allocated to participating securities		(413)		(548)
Net income attributable to common stockholders		$	78,472	$	101,151

Weighted average common shares outstanding:
Basic		38,205		38,877
Effect of dilutive securities:
Stock options and employee stock purchase plan		262		312
Diluted		38,467		39,189

Earnings per share attributable to common stockholders:
Basic		$	2.05	$	2.60
Diluted		$	2.04	$	2.58

Anti-dilutive stock options excluded from diluted earnings per share computations (1)		57		64

(1)Since these options have exercise prices that are higher than the average market prices of our common stock, including them in the calculation would have an anti-dilutive effect on earnings per share.

Note 3 – Acquisitions

In January 2024, we acquired the distribution assets of Shoreline Pool Distribution, a wholesale distributor of swimming pool products and supplies, adding one location in Mississippi.

In December 2023, we acquired the distribution assets of A.C. Solucoes para Piscinas, Lda., a wholesale distributor of swimming pool equipment, chemicals and supplies, adding one location in Braga, Portugal.

In June 2023, we acquired the distribution assets of Pioneer Pool Products, Inc., a wholesale distributor of swimming pool equipment, chemicals and supplies, adding one location in Alabama.

In May 2023, we acquired the distribution assets of Recreation Supply Company, a wholesale distributor of commercial swimming pool products, adding one location in North Dakota.

In March 2023, we acquired the distribution assets of Pro-Water Irrigation & Landscape Supply, Inc., a wholesale distributor of irrigation and landscape supply products, adding two locations in Arizona.

We have completed our acquisition accounting for these acquisitions, subject to adjustments for standard holdback provisions per the terms of the purchase agreements, which are not material.

Note 4 – Fair Value Measurements and Interest Rate Swaps

Recurring Fair Value Measurements

Our assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis include the unrealized gains or losses on our interest rate swap contracts and our deferred compensation plan asset and liability. The three levels of the fair value hierarchy under the accounting guidance are described below:

Level 1 Inputs to the valuation methodology are unadjusted quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets.

Level 2 Inputs to the valuation methodology include:

•quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets;

•quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in inactive markets;

•inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability; or

•inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means.

Level 3 Inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable and significant to the fair value measurement.

The table below presents our assets and liabilities measured and recorded at fair value on a recurring basis (in thousands):


			Fair Value at March 31,
	Input Level	Classification	2024		2023
Assets
Unrealized gains on interest rate swaps	Level 2	Prepaid expenses and other current assets	$	4,984	$	—
Unrealized gains on interest rate swaps	Level 2	Other assets	23,738		28,970
Deferred compensation plan asset	Level 1	Other assets	17,025		14,014

Liabilities


Deferred compensation plan liability	Level 1	Other long-term liabilities	$	17,025	$	14,014

Interest Rate Swaps

We utilize interest rate swap contracts and forward-starting interest rate swap contracts to reduce our exposure to fluctuations in variable interest rates for future interest payments on a portion of our variable rate borrowings.

We use significant other observable market data or assumptions (Level 2 inputs) in determining the fair value of our interest rate swap contracts and forward-starting interest rate swap contract that we believe market participants would use in pricing similar assets or liabilities, including assumptions about counterparty risk. Our fair value estimates reflect an income approach based on the terms of the interest rate swap contracts and inputs corroborated by observable market data including interest rate curves.

We recognize any differences between the variable interest rate in effect and the fixed interest rates per our swap contracts as an adjustment to interest expense over the life of the swaps. To the extent our derivatives are effective in offsetting the variability of the hedged cash flows, we record the changes in the estimated fair value of our interest rate swap contracts to Accumulated other comprehensive income on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

We currently have two swap contracts in place. These swap contracts were previously forward-starting and convert the variable interest rate to a fixed interest rate on a portion of our variable rate borrowings. Interest expense related to the notional amounts under these swap contracts is based on the fixed rates plus the applicable margin on a portion of our variable rate borrowings. Changes in the estimated fair value of these interest rate swap contracts are recorded to Accumulated other comprehensive income on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

The following table provides additional details related to these swap contracts:

Derivative

Inception Date

Effective Date

Termination Date

Notional Amount
(in millions)

Fixed Interest Rate

Interest rate swap 1

February 5, 2020

February 26, 2021

February 28, 2025

$150.0

1.3260%

Interest rate swap 2

March 9, 2020

September 29, 2022

February 26, 2027

$150.0

0.6690%

For the interest rate swap contracts in effect at March 31, 2024, a portion of the change in the estimated fair value between periods relates to future interest expense. Recognition of the change in fair value between periods attributable to accrued interest is reclassified from Accumulated other comprehensive income on the Consolidated Balance Sheets to Interest and other non-operating expenses, net on the Consolidated Statements of Income. These amounts were not material in the three-month periods ended March 31, 2024 or March 31, 2023.

We also have in place a forward-starting interest rate swap contract to extend the hedged period for future interest payments on a portion of our variable rate borrowings. The following table provides details related to our forward-starting interest rate swap contract:

Derivative

Inception Date

Effective Date

Termination Date

Notional
Amount
(in millions)

Fixed
Interest
Rate

Forward-starting interest rate swap

March 9, 2020

February 28, 2025

February 26, 2027

$150.0

0.7630%

Failure of our swap counterparties would result in the loss of any potential benefit to us under our swap agreements. In this case, we would still be obligated to pay the variable interest payments underlying our debt agreements. Additionally, failure of our swap counterparties would not eliminate our obligation to continue to make payments under our existing swap agreements if we were in a net pay position.

Our interest rate swap contracts and forward-starting interest rate swap contract are subject to master netting arrangements. According to our accounting policy, we do not offset the fair values of assets with the fair values of liabilities related to these contracts.

Other

Our deferred compensation plan asset represents investments in securities (primarily mutual funds) traded in an active market (Level 1 inputs) held for the benefit of certain employees as part of our deferred compensation plan. We record an equal and offsetting deferred compensation plan liability, which represents our obligation to participating employees. Changes in the fair value of the plan asset and liability are reflected in Selling and administrative expenses on the Consolidated Statements of Income.

The carrying values of cash and cash equivalents, receivables, accounts payable and accrued liabilities approximate fair value due to the short maturity of those instruments. The carrying value of our long-term debt approximates its fair value. Our determination of the estimated fair value reflects a discounted cash flow model using our estimates, including assumptions related to borrowing rates (Level 3 inputs).

Note 5 – Debt

The table below presents the components of our debt (in thousands):


	March 31,
	2024		2023
Variable rate debt
Short-term borrowings	$	—	$	3,011
Current portion of long-term debt:
Australian credit facility	11,655		11,319
Current portion of term loans under credit facility	25,000		18,750
Short-term borrowings and current portion of long-term debt	$	36,655	$	33,080

Long-term portion:
Revolving credit facility	$	115,400	$	398,895
Term loan under credit facility	456,250		481,250
Term facility	109,937		154,938
Receivables securitization facility	262,300		299,600
Less: financing costs, net	1,365		2,013
Long-term debt, net	942,522		1,332,670
Total debt	$	979,177	$	1,365,750

Our accounts receivable securitization facility (the Receivables Facility) provides for the sale of certain of our receivables to a wholly-owned subsidiary (the Securitization Subsidiary). The Securitization Subsidiary transfers variable undivided percentage interests in the receivables and related rights to certain third-party financial institutions in exchange for cash proceeds, limited to the applicable funding capacities.

We account for the sale of the receivable interests as a secured borrowing on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. The receivables subject to the agreement collateralize the cash proceeds received from the third-party financial institutions. We classify the entire outstanding balance as Long-term debt, net on our Consolidated Balance Sheets as we intend and have the ability to refinance the obligations on a long-term basis. We present the receivables that collateralize the cash proceeds separately as Receivables pledged under receivables facility on our Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

You should read the following discussion in conjunction with the accompanying interim Consolidated Financial Statements and notes, the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes in our 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K and Management’s Discussion and Analysis in our 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Forward-Looking Statements

This report contains forward-looking information that involves risks and uncertainties. Our forward-looking statements express our current expectations or forecasts of possible future results or events, including projections of earnings and other financial performance measures, statements of management’s expectations regarding our strategic, operational and capital allocation plans and objectives, management's views on industry, economic, competitive, technological and regulatory conditions and other forecasts of trends and other matters. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this filing, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise such statements to reflect new circumstances or unanticipated events as they occur. You can identify these statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historic or current facts and often use words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “believe,” “will likely result,” “outlook,” “project,” “may,” “can,” “plan,” “target,” “potential,” “should” and other words and expressions of similar meaning.

No assurance can be given that the expected results in any forward-looking statement will be achieved, and actual results may differ materially due to one or more factors, including the sensitivity of our business to weather conditions; changes in economic conditions, consumer discretionary spending, the housing market, inflation or interest rates; our ability to maintain favorable relationships with suppliers and manufacturers; the extent to which home-centric trends associated with the pandemic will continue to moderate or reverse; competition from other leisure product alternatives or mass merchants; our ability to continue to execute our growth strategies; changes in the regulatory environment; new or additional taxes, duties or tariffs; excess tax benefits or deficiencies recognized under ASU 2016-09 and other risks detailed in our 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K, as updated by our subsequent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. For these statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

OVERVIEW

Financial Results

Net sales decreased 7% in the first quarter of 2024 to $1.1 billion compared to $1.2 billion in the first quarter of 2023 following significant growth in 2021 and 2022. Base business results approximated consolidated results for the period. Maintenance activities were stable during the quarter, indicating steady demand for non-discretionary products, while pool construction and discretionary activities were weaker. Inflationary product cost increases moderated and net sales benefited approximately 2% compared to a benefit of 4% to 5% in the first quarter of 2023.

Gross profit decreased 8% to $338.6 million in the first quarter of 2024 from $369.8 million in the same period of 2023. Gross margin decreased 40 basis points to 30.2% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to 30.6% in the first quarter of 2023. In the first quarter of 2024, our gross margin was impacted by the following factors.

•Gross margin in the first quarter of 2024 included a benefit of $12.6 million, or 110 basis points, related to a reduction of estimated import taxes previously recorded in the fourth quarter of 2022.

•Gross margin benefited from ongoing supply chain management initiatives.

•We realized a higher cost of product in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the first quarter of 2023. In 2023, we started the year carrying a large amount of lower cost strategically-purchased inventory and successfully reduced this excess inventory to normalized levels by the end of the 2023 season. The lower-cost inventory was more impactful on gross margin in the first quarter of 2023 when a higher portion was sold relative to the full year.

•Changes in product mix weighed on our gross margin; we expect this mix to shift as sales of higher margin products increase as the season progresses.

•Greater customer preseason early buys during the quarter compared to last year and a higher concentration of sales to larger customers negatively impacted our margin.

Selling and administrative expenses (operating expenses) increased 3% to $229.8 million in the first quarter of 2024 compared to $224.0 million in the first quarter of 2023. While we managed variable costs in line with lower sales volumes, expense growth drivers included rent and facility costs, inflationary wage increases, insurance costs, technology initiatives and investments in greenfield locations. As a percentage of net sales, operating expenses increased to 20.5% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to 18.6% in the same period of 2023.

Operating income in the first quarter of 2024 decreased 25% to $108.7 million from $145.8 million in 2023. Operating margin was 9.7% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to 12.1% in the first quarter of 2023.

Interest and other non-operating expenses, net for the first quarter of 2024 decreased $2.4 million compared to the first quarter of 2023, primarily due to a decrease in average debt between periods.

We recorded a $7.4 million tax benefit from Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting, in the quarter ended March 31, 2024, compared to a tax benefit of $4.8 million realized in the same period of 2023. This resulted in a $0.19 per diluted share tax benefit in the first quarter of 2024 compared to a $0.12 per diluted share tax benefit realized in the same period of 2023.

Net income decreased 22% to $78.9 million in the first quarter of 2024 compared to $101.7 million in the first quarter of 2023. Earnings per diluted share decreased 21% to $2.04 in the first quarter of 2024 compared to $2.58 in the same period of 2023. Without the impact from ASU 2016-09 in both periods, earnings per diluted share decreased 25% to $1.85 compared to $2.46 in the first quarter of 2023. See RESULTS OF OPERATIONS below for definitions of our non-GAAP measures and reconciliations of our non-GAAP measures to GAAP measures.

References to product line and product category data throughout this report generally reflect data related to the North American swimming pool market, as this data is more readily available for analysis and represents the largest component of our operations.

In this Form 10-Q and other of our public disclosures, we estimate the impact that favorable or unfavorable weather had on our operating results. In connection with these estimates, we make several assumptions and rely on various third-party sources. It is possible that others assessing the same data could reach conclusions that differ from ours.

Financial Position and Liquidity

Total net receivables, including pledged receivables, trended in line with net sales activity at March 31, 2024 compared to March 31, 2023. Our days sales outstanding (DSO), as calculated on a trailing four quarters basis, was 26.9 days at March 31, 2024 and 26.5 days at March 31, 2023. Our allowance for doubtful accounts balance was $9.3 million at March 31, 2024 and $9.0 million at March 31, 2023.

We reduced net inventory levels compared to March 31, 2023 by $189.7 million, or 11%, to $1.5 billion, consistent with the trends stemming from our inventory management efforts executed over the 2023 swimming pool season following strategic buys in prior years. Our inventory reserve was $24.2 million at March 31, 2024 and $24.5 million at March 31, 2023. Our inventory turns, as calculated on a trailing four quarters basis, were 2.7 times at March 31, 2024 and 2.5 times at March 31, 2023.

Total debt outstanding was $979.2 million at March 31, 2024, down $386.6 million from March 31, 2023, as we have used operating cash flows to reduce our debt over the past year.

Current Trends and Outlook

For a detailed discussion of trends impacting us through 2023, see the Current Trends and Outlook section of Management’s Discussion and Analysis included in Part II, Item 7 of our 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We expect sales for the full year of 2024 to be flat to slightly positive compared to 2023, impacted by the following factors and assumptions:

•normal weather patterns for the remainder of 2024;

•sustained demand for pool maintenance products;

•volumes of discretionary products used for swimming pool construction to be flat to down 10%;

•volumes of products used in the remodeling, renovation and upgrading of swimming pools to be flat to down 10%; and

•inflationary product cost increases of approximately 2% to 3%.

As previously disclosed in our 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K, we project gross margin for the full year of 2024 to be in line with our long-term outlook of approximately 30.0%, with our highest margin in the second quarter of the year. Our actual gross margin will depend on amounts and timing of inflationary price increases, customer and product mix.

We expect to leverage our existing infrastructure and manage discretionary spending to maintain expenses for the full year of 2024 in line with sales expectations to achieve an operating margin of approximately 13.0%.

We project that our annual effective tax rate (without the benefit from ASU 2016-09) for 2024 will approximate 25.3%. We

expect our effective tax rate will fluctuate from quarter to quarter due to ASU 2016-09, particularly in periods when employees elect to exercise their vested stock options or when restrictions on share-based awards lapse. We recorded a $7.4 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, tax benefit from ASU 2016-09 for the three months ended March 31, 2024. We may recognize additional tax benefits related to stock option exercises in 2024 from grants that expire in future years. We have not included any expected tax benefits in our full year guidance beyond what we have recognized as of March 31, 2024.

We expect 2024 diluted EPS in the range of $13.19 to $14.19, including the impact of year-to-date tax benefits of $0.19. We expect to continue to use cash for the payment of cash dividends as and when declared by our Board of Directors (Board) and to fund opportunistic share repurchases under our Board-authorized share repurchase program.

The forward-looking statements in the foregoing section and elsewhere in this report are based on current market conditions, speak only as of the filing date of this report, are based on several assumptions and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. See “Cautionary Statement for Forward-Looking Statements.”

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

As of March 31, 2024, we conducted operations through 442 sales centers in North America, Europe and Australia. For the three months ended March 31, 2024, approximately 95% of our net sales were from our operations in North America.

The following table presents information derived from the Consolidated Statements of Income expressed as a percentage of net sales:


	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
		2024		2023
Net sales		100.0	%	100.0	%
Cost of sales		69.8		69.4
Gross profit		30.2		30.6
Selling and administrative expenses		20.5		18.6

Operating income		9.7		12.1
Interest and other non-operating expenses, net		1.2		1.3
Income before income taxes and equity in earnings		8.5	%	10.8	%

Note: Due to rounding, percentages presented in the table above may not add to Operating income or Income before income taxes and equity in earnings.

We have included the results of operations from acquisitions in 2024 and 2023 in our consolidated results since the acquisition dates.

Three Months Ended March 31, 2024 Compared to Three Months Ended March 31, 2023

Base Business

When calculating our base business results, we exclude sales centers that are acquired, opened in new markets or closed for a period of 15 months. We also exclude consolidated sales centers when we do not expect to maintain the majority of the existing business and existing sales centers that we consolidate with acquired sales centers.

We generally allocate corporate overhead expenses to excluded sales centers on the basis of their net sales as a percentage of total net sales. After 15 months, we include acquired, consolidated and new market sales centers in the base business calculation including the comparative prior year period.

We have not provided separate base business income statements within this Form 10-Q as our base business results for the quarter ended March 31, 2024 closely approximated consolidated results for the same period, and acquisitions and sales centers excluded from base business contributed less than 1% to the change in net sales.

The table below summarizes the changes in our sales center count during the first three months of 2024:


December 31, 2023			439
Acquired location			1
New locations			3
Consolidated location			(1)
March 31, 2024			442

Net Sales


	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
(in millions)	2024		2023		Change
Net sales	$	1,120.8	$	1,206.8	$	(86.0)	(7)%

Net sales of $1.1 billion in the first quarter of 2024 decreased 7% compared to $1.2 billion in the first quarter of 2023, reflecting challenges from current macroeconomic conditions and mixed weather. Our base business results approximated our consolidated results for the period. Maintenance activities were stable during the quarter, indicating steady demand for non-discretionary products, while pool construction and discretionary activities were weaker.

The following factors impacted our sales during the quarter and are listed in order of estimated magnitude.

•Our net sales were negatively impacted by lower sales volumes from reduced pool construction activity and discretionary activity (see discussion below).

•We estimate that unfavorable weather conditions negatively impacted sales by approximately 2%.

•Net sales benefited approximately 1% to 2% from inflationary product cost increases, which is net of price deflation for some products, primarily chemical sanitizers and PVC pipe. This compares to a benefit of 4% to 5% in the first quarter of 2023.

•Sales included a greater concentration of customer early buy activity in the first quarter of 2024 than the first quarter of 2023.

In the first quarter of 2024, sales of equipment, which is used in maintenance, renovation and new construction activities and includes swimming pool heaters, pumps, lights, filters and automation, decreased 3% compared to the same period last year, and collectively represented approximately 34% of net sales for the period. Sales of building materials, which is primarily used in new construction and remodeling, decreased 11% compared to the first quarter of 2023 and represented approximately 13% of net sales in the first quarter of 2024.

Sales to specialty retailers that sell swimming pool supplies and customers who service large commercial installations are included in the appropriate existing product categories, and sales trends in these areas are reflected in the discussion above. Sales to retail customers decreased 4% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the first quarter of 2023 and represented approximately 15% of our total net sales. Sales to commercial swimming pool customers were flat in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the first quarter of 2023 and represented approximately 5% of our net sales for the first quarter of 2024.

Gross Profit


	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
(in millions)	2024			2023			Change
Gross profit	$	338.6		$	369.8		$	(31.2)	(8)%
Gross margin	30.2		%	30.6		%

Gross margin decreased 40 basis points to 30.2% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to 30.6% in the first quarter of 2023. In the first quarter of 2024, our gross margin was impacted by the following factors.

•Gross margin benefited from ongoing supply chain management initiatives.

•Changes in product mix weighed on our gross margin; we expect this mix to shift as sales of higher margin products increase as the season progresses.

•Greater customer preseason early buys during the quarter compared to last year and a higher concentration of sales to larger customers negatively impacted our margin.

Operating Expenses


	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
(in millions)	2024			2023			Change
Selling and administrative expenses	$	229.8		$	224.0		$	5.8	3%

Operating expenses as a % of net sales	20.5		%	18.6		%

Operating expenses increased 3% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the first quarter of 2023. Expense growth drivers included rent and facility costs, inflationary wage increases, insurance costs, technology initiatives and investments in greenfield locations. These increases were partially offset by lower variable costs, including performance-based compensation and freight costs. As a percentage of net sales, operating expenses increased to 20.5% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to 18.6% in the same period of 2023.

Interest and Other Non-Operating Expenses, Net

Interest and other non-operating expenses, net for the first quarter of 2024 decreased $2.4 million compared to the first quarter of 2023, primarily due to a decrease in average debt between periods. Our weighted average effective interest rate increased to 5.3% in the first quarter of 2024 from 4.8% in the first quarter of 2023 on average outstanding debt of $1.0 billion and $1.3 billion for the respective periods.

Income Taxes

Our effective income tax rate was 17.3% for the three months ended March 31, 2024, compared to 21.8% for the three months ended March 31, 2023. We recorded a $7.4 million tax benefit from ASU 2016-09 in the quarter ended March 31, 2024, compared to a tax benefit of $4.8 million realized in the same period last year. Without the benefit from ASU 2016-09 in both periods, our effective tax rate was 25.1% for the first quarter of 2024 and 25.5% for the first quarter of 2023.

Net Income and Earnings Per Share

Net income decreased 22% to $78.9 million in the first quarter of 2024 compared to $101.7 million in the first quarter of 2023. Earnings per diluted share decreased 21% to $2.04 in the first quarter of 2024 compared to $2.58 in the same period of 2023. Without the impact from ASU 2016-09 in both periods, earnings per diluted share decreased 25% to $1.85 in the first quarter of 2024 compared to $2.46 in the first quarter of 2023. See the reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP measures below.

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The non-GAAP measures described below should be considered in the context of all of our other disclosures in this Form 10-Q.

Adjusted Diluted EPS

We have included adjusted diluted EPS, a non-GAAP financial measure, as a supplemental disclosure, because we believe this measure is useful to management, investors and others in assessing our period-to-period operating performance.

Adjusted diluted EPS is a key measure used by management to demonstrate the impact of tax benefits from ASU 2016-09 on our diluted EPS and to provide investors and others with additional information about our potential future operating performance to supplement GAAP measures.

We believe this measure should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for, diluted EPS presented in accordance with GAAP, and in the context of our other disclosures in this Form 10-Q. Other companies may calculate this non-GAAP financial measure differently than we do, which may limit its usefulness as a comparative measure.

The table below presents a reconciliation of diluted EPS to adjusted diluted EPS.


(Unaudited)	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
		2024		2023
Diluted EPS		$	2.04	$	2.58



ASU 2016-09 tax benefit		(0.19)		(0.12)

Adjusted diluted EPS		$	1.85	$	2.46

Seasonality and Quarterly Fluctuations

Our business is seasonal. In general, sales and operating income are highest during the second and third quarters, which represent the peak months of both swimming pool use and installation and irrigation and landscape installations and maintenance. Sales are lower during the first and fourth quarters. In 2023, we generated approximately 60% of our net sales and 70% of our operating income in the second and third quarters of the year.

We typically experience a build-up of product inventories and accounts payable during the winter months in anticipation of the peak selling season. Excluding borrowings to finance acquisitions and share repurchases, our peak borrowing usually occurs during the second quarter, primarily because extended payment terms offered by our suppliers typically are payable in April, May and June, while our peak accounts receivable collections typically occur in June, July and August.

The following table presents certain unaudited quarterly income statement and balance sheet data for the most recent eight quarters to illustrate seasonal fluctuations in these amounts. We believe this information reflects all normal and recurring adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation of this data. The results of any one or more quarters are not necessarily a good indication of results for an entire fiscal year or of continuing future trends for a variety of reasons, including the seasonal nature of our business and the impact of new and acquired sales centers.


(Unaudited)	QUARTER
(in thousands)	2024		2023								2022
	First		Fourth		Third		Second		First		Fourth		Third		Second
Statement of Income Data
Net sales	$	1,120,810	$	1,003,050	$	1,474,407	$	1,857,363	$	1,206,774	$	1,095,920	$	1,615,339	$	2,055,818
Gross profit	338,560		293,775		428,731		567,783		369,755		315,731		503,687		666,804
Operating income	108,720		79,344		194,443		327,009		145,771		107,295		263,877		418,888
Net income	78,885		51,437		137,843		232,250		101,699		71,863		190,055		307,283

Balance Sheet Data
Total receivables, net	$	527,175	$	342,910	$	461,582	$	630,950	$	564,171	$	351,448	$	549,796	$	756,585
Product inventories, net	1,496,947		1,365,466		1,259,308		1,392,886		1,686,683		1,591,060		1,539,572		1,579,101
Accounts payable	907,806		508,672		429,436		485,100		739,749		406,667		442,226		604,225
Total debt	979,177		1,053,320		1,033,897		1,184,586		1,365,750		1,386,803		1,512,545		1,595,398

We expect that our quarterly results of operations will continue to fluctuate depending on the timing and amount of revenue contributed by new and acquired sales centers. Based on our peak summer selling season, we generally open new sales centers and close or consolidate sales centers, when warranted, either in the first quarter before the peak selling season begins or in the fourth quarter after the peak selling season ends.

Weather is one of the principal external factors affecting our business. The table below presents some of the possible effects resulting from various weather conditions.


Weather		Possible Effects
Hot and dry	•	Increased purchases of chemicals and supplies
		for existing swimming pools
	•	Increased purchases of above-ground pools and
		irrigation and lawn care products

Unseasonably cool weather or extraordinary amounts	•	Fewer pool and irrigation and landscape
of rain		installations
	•	Decreased purchases of chemicals and supplies
	•	Decreased purchases of impulse items such as
		above-ground pools and accessories

Unseasonably early warming trends in spring/late cooling	•	A longer pool and landscape season, thus positively
trends in fall		impacting our sales
(primarily in the northern half of the U.S. and Canada)

Unseasonably late warming trends in spring/early cooling	•	A shorter pool and landscape season, thus negatively
trends in fall		impacting our sales
(primarily in the northern half of the U.S. and Canada)

Weather Impacts on 2024 and 2023 Results

The first quarter of 2024 was the tenth wettest quarter on record leading to mixed impacts across our markets, particularly in the month of March, which is seasonally our highest sales month of the first quarter. However, we also observed above-average temperatures during the quarter contributing positively to economic activities in many regions, such as improvement in California during March. The adverse effects of cooler and wetter weather in Florida and the Southeast compared to the first quarter of last year and excessive precipitation in Texas and the Northeast outweighed the positives, resulting in an unfavorable impact on net sales. In the first quarter of 2023, varied weather conditions had a more pronounced unfavorable impact on net sales due to unusually wet and cold weather in the western U.S., particularly California and Arizona. Conditions were generally favorable in our southern markets, where sales benefited from warmer weather and below-average precipitation.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES

We prepare our Consolidated Financial Statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), which require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect reported amounts and related disclosures. Management identifies critical accounting estimates as:

•those that require the use of assumptions about matters that are inherently and highly uncertain at the time the estimates are made; and

•those for which changes in the estimates or assumptions, or the use of different estimates and assumptions, could have a material impact on our consolidated results of operations or financial condition.

Management has discussed the development, selection and disclosure of our critical accounting estimates with the Audit Committee of our Board. For a description of our critical accounting estimates that require us to make the most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, please see our 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K. We have not changed any of these policies from those previously disclosed in that report.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 1 of “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements,” included in Part I, Item 1 of this Form 10-Q for discussion of recent accounting pronouncements.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Liquidity is defined as the ability to generate adequate amounts of cash to meet short-term and long-term cash needs. We assess our liquidity in terms of our ability to generate cash to fund our operating activities, taking into consideration the seasonal nature of our business. Significant factors which could affect our liquidity include the following:

•cash flows generated from operating activities;

•the adequacy of available bank lines of credit;

•the quality of our receivables;

•acquisitions;

•dividend payments;

•capital expenditures;

•changes in income tax laws and regulations;

•the timing and extent of share repurchases; and

•the ability to attract long-term capital with satisfactory terms.

Our primary capital needs are seasonal working capital obligations, debt repayment obligations and other general corporate initiatives, including acquisitions, opening new sales centers, dividend payments and share repurchases. Our primary working capital obligations are for the purchase of inventory, payroll, rent, other facility costs and selling and administrative expenses. Our working capital obligations fluctuate during the year, driven primarily by seasonality and the timing of inventory purchases. Our primary sources of working capital are cash from operations supplemented by bank borrowings, which have historically been sufficient to support our growth and finance acquisitions. We have funded our capital expenditures and share repurchases in substantially the same manner.

We prioritize our use of cash based on investing in our business, maintaining a prudent capital structure, including a modest amount o