Pool Corporation Reports Record Third Quarter Results and Increases 2021 Earnings Guidance


Highlights

  • Record net sales for third quarter of 2021 reflect overall growth of 24% from Q3 2020
  • Q3 2021 operating income of $237.3 million, up 60% from Q3 2020 with a 380 basis point improvement in operating margin
  • Q3 2021 diluted EPS increase of 55% to a record $4.54 or an increase of 64% to $4.44, without tax benefits in both periods
  • 2021 earnings guidance for the full year increased to $14.85 - $15.35 per diluted share from previous $13.75 - $14.25 range

______________________

COVINGTON, La., Oct. 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pool Corporation (Nasdaq/GSM:POOL) today reported record results for the third quarter of 2021 and increased 2021 earnings guidance.

“I am incredibly proud of the POOLCORP team. Everyone in the field from our drivers, warehouse associates, customer service representatives, field management and those in support roles, came together to produce truly incredible results for the quarter. Their extraordinary efforts, tenacity and unending work ethic continued in the third quarter. Our net sales grew 24% to a record $1.4 billion, fueling 60% growth in operating income, on top of the 42% operating income growth that we posted in the third quarter of 2020. Each and every day, our teams have performed remarkably to meet customer demand in challenging conditions,” commented Peter D. Arvan, president and CEO.

In the third quarter of 2021, net sales increased 24% to a record $1.4 billion compared to $1.1 billion in the third quarter of 2020, while base business sales grew 19%. This growth is on top of 27% growth in the third quarter of last year, bringing our year-to-date net sales growth to $1.2 billion. Our sales continued to benefit from elevated demand for outdoor living products along with favorable weather conditions. Our rigorous commitment to operating efficiency and capacity creation, along with our strategic focus on inventory purchases to serve demand has allowed us to fulfill our customers' high volumes.

Gross profit increased 34% to a record $441.9 million in the third quarter of 2021 from $328.7 million in the same period of 2020. Base business gross profit improved 29% over the third quarter of 2020. Gross margin increased 240 basis points to 31.3% in the third quarter of 2021 compared to 28.9% in the third quarter of 2020, while base business gross margin increased 250 basis points, primarily reflecting benefits from our supply chain management initiatives.

Selling and administrative expenses (operating expenses), including the recovery of goodwill and other assets, increased 13% to $204.6 million in the third quarter of 2021 compared to $180.5 million in the third quarter of 2020, while base business operating expenses grew 7%, primarily due to growth-driven labor, facility and freight costs, along with increased investments in technology. In the third quarter of 2021, we recovered $1.4 million of a $2.5 million note impairment recorded in the first quarter of 2020. As a percentage of net sales, operating expenses decreased to 14.5% in the third quarter of 2021 compared to 15.8% in the same period of 2020, reflecting continued strong expense control.

Operating income in the third quarter of 2021 increased 60% to $237.3 million compared to $148.2 million in the same period in 2020. Operating margin was 16.8% in the third quarter of 2021 compared to 13.0% in the third quarter of 2020 while base business operating margin was 17.1%, up 410 basis points from the prior year period.

We recorded a $4.2 million, or $0.10 per diluted share, tax benefit from Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting, in the quarter ended September 30, 2021, compared to a tax benefit of $8.5 million, or $0.21 per diluted share, realized in the same period of 2020.

Net income increased 55% to $184.7 million in the third quarter of 2021 compared to $119.1 million in the third quarter of 2020. Earnings per diluted share increased 55% to $4.54 in the third quarter of 2021 compared to $2.92 in the same period of 2020. Without the impact from ASU 2016-09 in both periods, earnings per diluted share increased 64% to $4.44 in the third quarter of 2021 compared to $2.71 in the third quarter of 2020.

Net sales for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 increased 38% to a record $4.3 billion from $3.1 billion in the nine months ended September 30, 2020. Base business sales increased 31% for the period. Gross margin improved 160 basis points to 30.4% compared to 28.8% in the same period last year with base business gross margin 170 basis points higher, favorably impacted by improvements in our supply chain management initiatives.

Operating expenses, including the recovery of goodwill and other assets in 2021 and the impairment in 2020, for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 increased 17% compared to the first nine months of 2020. In the first quarter of 2020, we recorded impairment charges of $6.9 million, which included $2.5 million from a note and non-cash goodwill and intangibles impairment charges of $4.4 million. In the third quarter of 2021, we recovered $1.4 million of the previously impaired note. Without the impact of the recovery in 2021 and the prior year impairment charges, operating expenses were up 19% with base business operating expenses up 12%.

Operating income for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 increased 81% to a record $704.9 million compared to $389.7 million in the same period last year. Operating margin for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 was 16.5% compared to 12.6% for the nine months ended September 30, 2020, while base business operating margin increased 440 basis points.

We recorded a $15.9 million, or $0.39 per diluted share, tax benefit from ASU 2016-09 in the nine months ended September 30, 2021 compared to a $22.6 million, or $0.55 per diluted share, tax benefit in the same period of 2020.

Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 increased 77% to a record $543.0 million compared to $307.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. Adjusted net income for the first nine months of 2021, without the note recovery in 2021 and the prior year impact of non-cash impairments, both net of tax, increased 73%. Earnings per share for the first nine months of 2021 increased 77% to $13.32 per diluted share versus $7.53 in the first nine months of 2020. Adjusted diluted EPS (as calculated in the addendum to this release) increased 81% during the first nine months of 2021 compared to the same period of the prior year. See the reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP measures in the addendum of this release.

On the balance sheet at September 30, 2021, total net receivables, including pledged receivables, increased 30% compared to September 30, 2020, primarily driven by our sales growth and recent acquisitions. Inventory levels increased 70% to $1.0 billion, or 63% without inventory from recently acquired businesses, compared to September 30, 2020. Our inventory balance has increased as we have made significant investments in inventory throughout the year to support increased demand and help manage potential supply chain disruptions that could negatively impact customer service. Total debt outstanding was $362.8 million at September 30, 2021, a $22.9 million increase from total debt at September 30, 2020. As previously announced, during the third quarter of 2021, we also amended and restated our credit facility to, among other things, extend the term approximately five years and enhance our borrowing capacity.

Net cash provided by operations decreased $29.8 million to $359.1 million in the first nine months of 2021 compared to $388.9 million in the first nine months of 2020, primarily reflecting our supply chain investments in inventory to enable us to continue to meet strong customer demand. Adjusted EBITDA (as defined in the addendum to this release) increased 72% to $737.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, compared to $429.4 million in the same period of the prior year.

“In response to our fantastic third quarter results and considering our expectations for the remainder of the year, we are raising our 2021 earnings guidance range to $14.85 to $15.35 per diluted share, including the impact of year-to-date tax benefits of $0.39. Our previous 2021 earnings guidance range was $13.75 to $14.25 per diluted share, and included tax benefits of $0.29 for the first six months of 2021. The strong demand trends combined with our focused strategic initiatives and ability to execute them make us well-positioned for the remainder of 2021 and into next season,” said Arvan.

POOLCORP is the world’s largest wholesale distributor of swimming pool and related backyard products. POOLCORP operates 409 sales centers in North America, Europe and Australia, through which it distributes more than 200,000 national brand and private label products to roughly 120,000 wholesale customers. For more information, please visit www.poolcorp.com.

This news release includes “forward-looking” statements that involve risks and uncertainties that are generally identifiable through the use of words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “estimate,” “project,” “should” and similar expressions and include projections of earnings. The forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise such statements to reflect new circumstances or unanticipated events as they occur. Actual results may differ materially due to a variety of factors, including impacts on our business from the COVID-19 pandemic and the extent to which home-centric trends will continue, accelerate or reverse; the sensitivity of our business to weather conditions; changes in the economy and the housing market; our ability to maintain favorable relationships with suppliers and manufacturers; competition from other leisure product alternatives and mass merchants; our ability to continue to execute our growth strategies; excess tax benefits or deficiencies recognized under ASU 2016-09 and other risks detailed in POOLCORP’s 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

CONTACT:
Curtis J. Scheel
Director of Investor Relations
985.801.5341
curtis.scheel@poolcorp.com

POOL CORPORATION
Consolidated Statements of Income
(Unaudited)
(In thousands, except per share data)

 Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended
 September 30, September 30,
 2021 2020 2021 2020
Net sales$1,411,448   $1,139,229  $4,260,027   $3,097,362 
Cost of sales969,549   810,531  2,965,311   2,205,555 
Gross profit441,899   328,698  1,294,716   891,807 
Percent31.3 % 28.9% 30.4 % 28.8%
        
Selling and administrative expenses206,023   180,465  591,223   495,186 
(Recovery) impairment of goodwill and other assets(1,400)    (1,400)  6,944 
Operating income237,276   148,233  704,893   389,677 
Percent16.8 % 13.0% 16.5 % 12.6%
        
Interest and other non-operating expenses, net2,317   1,861  6,862   9,292 
Income before income taxes and equity earnings234,959   146,372  698,031   380,385 
Provision for income taxes50,386   27,360  155,240   73,068 
Equity earnings in unconsolidated investments, net92   86  224   248 
Net income$184,665   $119,098  $543,015   $307,565 
        
Earnings per share:       
Basic$4.60   $2.97  $13.53   $7.68 
Diluted$4.54   $2.92  $13.32   $7.53 
Weighted average shares outstanding:       
Basic40,101   40,123  40,146   40,073 
Diluted40,691   40,839  40,766   40,849 
        
Cash dividends declared per common share$0.80   $0.58  $2.18   $1.71 


POOL CORPORATION
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(Unaudited)
(In thousands)

 September 30, September 30,  Change 
 2021 2020  $ % 
            
Assets           
Current assets:           
Cash and cash equivalents$83,475  $74,749  $8,726  12 %
Receivables, net (1) 174,987   135,555   39,432  29  
Receivables pledged under receivables facility 301,163   230,857   70,306  30  
Product inventories, net (2) 1,043,407   612,824   430,583  70  
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 23,368   12,696   10,672  84  
Total current assets 1,626,400   1,066,681   559,719  52  
            
Property and equipment, net 111,339   109,086   2,253  2  
Goodwill 281,300   199,360   81,940  41  
Other intangible assets, net 12,067   10,522   1,545  15  
Equity interest investments 1,242   1,314   (72) (5) 
Operating lease assets 221,007   180,230   40,777  23  
Other assets 28,878   20,396   8,482  42  
Total assets$2,282,233  $1,587,589  $694,644  44 %
            
Liabilities and stockholders’ equity           
Current liabilities:           
Accounts payable$414,156  $268,412  $145,744  54 %
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 231,794   145,420   86,374  59  
Short-term borrowings and current portion of long-term debt 10,744   11,709   (965) (8) 
Current operating lease liabilities 65,442   56,977   8,465  15  
Total current liabilities 722,136   482,518   239,618  50  
            
Deferred income taxes 30,275   29,476   799  3  
Long-term debt, net 352,075   328,225   23,850  7  
Other long-term liabilities 34,176   32,846   1,330  4  
Non-current operating lease liabilities 158,359   125,023   33,336  27  
Total liabilities 1,297,021   998,088   298,933  30  
Total stockholders’ equity 985,212   589,501   395,711  67  
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity$2,282,233  $1,587,589  $694,644  44 %

(1)  The allowance for doubtful accounts was $5.4 million at September 30, 2021 and $5.3 million at September 30, 2020.
(2)  The inventory reserve was $15.7 million at September 30, 2021 and $11.4 million at September 30, 2020.


POOL CORPORATION

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(Unaudited)
(In thousands)

  Nine Months Ended   
  September 30,   
  2021  2020  Change
Operating activities        
Net income$543,015  $307,565  $235,450 
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:        
Depreciation 21,027   20,979   48 
Amortization 1,064   975   89 
Share-based compensation 11,755   11,095   660 
Equity earnings in unconsolidated investments, net (224)  (248)  24 
Impairment of goodwill and other assets    6,944   (6,944)
Other 5,256   1,092   4,164 
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effects of acquisitions:        
Receivables (186,772)  (135,129)  (51,643)
Product inventories (267,341)  99,767   (367,108)
Prepaid expenses and other assets (22,674)  311   (22,985)
Accounts payable 146,616   3,385   143,231 
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 107,343   72,178   35,165 
Net cash provided by operating activities 359,065   388,914   (29,849)
         
Investing activities        
Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired (17,887)  (24,655)  6,768 
Purchases of property and equipment, net of sale proceeds (24,223)  (16,897)  (7,326)
Net cash used in investing activities (42,110)  (41,552)  (558)
         
Financing activities        
Proceeds from revolving line of credit 791,508   749,840   41,668 
Payments on revolving line of credit (730,277)  (909,637)  179,360 
Proceeds from asset-backed financing 310,000   261,700   48,300 
Payments on asset-backed financing (415,000)  (266,700)  (148,300)
Payments on term facility (6,938)  (6,938)   
Proceeds from short-term borrowings and current portion of long-term debt 7,880   13,255   (5,375)
Payments on short-term borrowings and current portion of long-term debt (9,006)  (13,291)  4,285 
Payments of deferred financing costs (1,610)  (12)  (1,598)
Payments of deferred and contingent acquisition consideration (362)  (281)  (81)
Proceeds from stock issued under share-based compensation plans 11,524   16,696   (5,172)
Payments of cash dividends (87,509)  (68,599)  (18,910)
Purchases of treasury stock (137,975)  (76,194)  (61,781)
Net cash used in financing activities (267,765)  (300,161)  32,396 
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 157   (1,035)  1,192 
Change in cash and cash equivalents 49,347   46,166   3,181 
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 34,128   28,583   5,545 
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period$83,475  $74,749  $8,726 


ADDENDUM

Base Business

The following table breaks out our consolidated results into the base business component and the excluded component (sales centers excluded from base business):

(Unaudited) Base Business Excluded Total
(in thousands) Three Months Ended Three Months Ended Three Months Ended
  September 30, September 30, September 30,
  2021 2020 2021 2020 2021 2020
Net sales $1,348,758  $1,136,946  $62,690  $2,283  $1,411,448  $1,139,229 
             
Gross profit 423,238  328,140  18,661  558  441,899  328,698 
Gross margin 31.4% 28.9% 29.8% 24.4% 31.3% 28.9%
             
Operating expenses (1) 192,061  179,990  12,562  475  204,623  180,465 
Expenses as a % of net sales 14.2% 15.8% 20.0% 20.8% 14.5% 15.8%
             
Operating income (1) 231,177  148,150  6,099  83  237,276  148,233 
Operating margin 17.1% 13.0% 9.7% 3.6% 16.8% 13.0%

(1)  Base business and total reflect a $1.4 million recovery of goodwill and other assets in 2021.



(Unaudited) Base Business Excluded Total
(in thousands) Nine Months Ended Nine Months Ended Nine Months Ended
  September 30, September 30, September 30,
  2021 2020 2021 2020 2021 2020
Net sales $4,052,044  $3,091,270  $207,983  $6,092  $4,260,027  $3,097,362 
             
Gross profit 1,237,728  889,494  56,988  2,313  1,294,716  891,807 
Gross margin 30.5% 28.8% 27.4% 38.0% 30.4% 28.8%
             
Operating expenses (1) 549,913  500,196  39,910  1,934  589,823  502,130 
Expenses as a % of net sales 13.6% 16.2% 19.2% 31.7% 13.8% 16.2%
             
Operating income (1) 687,815  389,298  17,078  379  704,893  389,677 
Operating margin 17.0% 12.6% 8.2% 6.2% 16.5% 12.6%

(1)  Base business and total reflect a $1.4 million recovery of goodwill and other assets in 2021 and a $6.9 million impairment of goodwill and other assets in 2020.


We have excluded the following acquisitions from our base business results for the periods identified:


Acquired
 Acquisition
Date
 Net
Sales Centers
Acquired
 Periods
Excluded
Vak Pak Builders Supply, Inc. June 2021 1 June - September 2021
Pool Source, LLC April 2021 1 April - September 2021
TWC Distributors, Inc. December 2020 10 January - September 2021
Jet Line Products, Inc. October 2020 9 January - September 2021
Northeastern Swimming Pool Distributors, Inc. September 2020 2 January - September 2021 and September 2020
Master Tile Network LLC February 2020 4 January - May 2021 and February - May 2020

When calculating our base business results, we exclude sales centers that are acquired, closed or opened in new markets 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 are consolidated 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 of operations, we include acquired, consolidated and new market sales centers in the base business calculation including the comparative prior year period.

The table below summarizes the changes in our sales center count in the first nine months of 2021.

December 31, 2020398 
Acquired locations2 
New locations10 
Consolidated location(1)
September 30, 2021409 
  

Adjusted EBITDA

We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income or net loss plus interest and other non-operating expenses, income taxes, depreciation, amortization, share-based compensation, goodwill and other impairments (recoveries) and equity earnings or loss in unconsolidated investments. Other companies may calculate Adjusted EBITDA differently than we do, which may limit its usefulness as a comparative measure.

Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of performance as determined by generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). We believe Adjusted EBITDA should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for, operating income or loss, net income or loss, net cash flows provided by or used in operating, investing and financing activities or other income statement or cash flow statement line items reported in accordance with GAAP.

We have included Adjusted EBITDA as a supplemental disclosure because we believe that it is widely used by our investors, industry analysts and others as a useful supplemental performance measure. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA, when viewed with our GAAP results and the accompanying reconciliations, provides additional information that is useful to gain an understanding of the factors and trends affecting our ability to service debt, pay taxes and fund capital expenditures.

The table below presents a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA.

(Unaudited) Three Months Ended  Nine Months Ended
(in thousands) September 30,  September 30,
  2021  2020  2021  2020
Net income$184,665  $119,098  $543,015  $307,565 
Add:           
Interest and other non-operating expenses (1) 2,317   1,861   6,862   9,292 
Provision for income taxes 50,386   27,360   155,240   73,068 
Share-based compensation 4,206   3,874   11,755   11,095 
Equity earnings in unconsolidated investments (92)  (86)  (224)  (248)
(Recovery) impairment of goodwill and other assets (1,400)     (1,400)  6,944 
Depreciation 7,143   6,986   21,027   20,979 
Amortization (2) 260   217   821   665 
Adjusted EBITDA$247,485  $159,310  $737,096  $429,360 

(1)  Shown net of interest income and includes gains and losses on foreign currency transactions and amortization of deferred financing costs as discussed below.
(2)  Excludes amortization of deferred financing costs of $81 and $103 for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and September 30, 2020, respectively, and $243 and $310 for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and September 30, 2020, respectively. This non-cash expense is included in Interest and other non-operating expenses, net on the Consolidated Statements of Income.

Adjusted Income Statement Information

We have included adjusted net income and adjusted diluted EPS, which are non-GAAP financial measures, in this press release as supplemental disclosures, because we believe these measures are useful to investors and others in assessing our period-to-period operating performance.

Adjusted net income and adjusted diluted EPS are key measures used by management to demonstrate the impact of our non-cash and non-recurring charges and to provide investors and others with additional information about our potential future operating performance to supplement GAAP measures.

We believe these measures should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for, net income and diluted EPS presented in accordance with GAAP, respectively, and in the context of our other disclosures in this press release. Other companies may calculate these non-GAAP financial measures differently than we do, which may limit their usefulness as comparative measures.

The table below presents a reconciliation of net income to adjusted net income.

(Unaudited)Nine Months Ended
(in thousands)September 30,
 2021 2020
Net income$543,015  $307,565 
(Recovery) impairment of goodwill and other assets(1,400) 6,944 
Tax impact on (recovery) impairment of note (1)351  (654)
Adjusted net income$541,966  $313,855 

(1)  Our effective tax rate at March 31, 2020 was a 0.1% benefit. Excluding impairment from goodwill and intangibles and tax benefits from ASU 2016-09 recorded in the first quarter of 2020, our effective tax rate for the first quarter of 2020 was 25.4%, which we used to calculate the tax impact related to the $2.5 million note impairment.

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

(Unaudited)Nine Months Ended
 September 30,
 2021 2020
Diluted EPS$13.32  $7.53 
After-tax (recovery) impairment charges(0.03) 0.15 
Adjusted diluted EPS excluding after-tax (recovery) impairment charges13.29  7.68 
ASU 2016-09 tax benefit(0.39) (0.55)
Adjusted diluted EPS excluding after-tax (recovery) impairment charges and ASU 2016-19 tax benefit$12.90  $7.13