Highlights include:Record annual sales of $3.2 billion for 2019, up 7% from 20182019 operating margin of 10.7%, up 20 bps from 2018, with base business operating margin up 40 bpsRecord 2019 diluted EPS of $6.40 (including a $0.57 tax benefit), an increase of 14% over 2018Cash provided by operations of $298.8 million, an improvement of $180.1 million from 20182020 diluted EPS guidance range of $6.47 – $6.77, including an estimated $0.06 tax benefit; excluding the tax benefit in both years, the guidance range is an increase of 10% – 15% over 2019COVINGTON, La., Feb. 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Pool Corporation (NASDAQ/GSM:POOL) today announced fourth quarter and full year 2019 results.“2019 was an exciting year for POOLCORP as we achieved record sales, operating margin and earnings per share. We also achieved a record return on invested capital of 29.3%. Our focus on market share gains and capacity creation allowed us to capitalize on our competitive advantages and deliver solid results, particularly considering the impact of weather on our results in the first half of the year,” commented Peter D. Arvan, president and CEO.Net sales increased 7% to a record high of $3.2 billion for the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to $3.0 billion in 2018. Base business sales increased 5% driven by our continued expansion in commercial and building material products and healthy demand for discretionary products, such as construction materials and products used in the remodel and replacement of in-ground pools. We achieved these favorable results despite inclement weather throughout much of the first half of the year.Gross profit reached a record $924.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, a 6% increase over gross profit of $870.2 million in 2018. Gross margin was relatively flat year over year at 28.9% in 2019 compared to 29.0% in 2018, with base business gross margin at 29.0% in both years.Selling and administrative expenses (operating expenses) increased 5% to $583.7 million in 2019, up from $556.3 million in 2018, with base business operating expenses up 3% over 2018. The increase in base business operating expenses was primarily attributable to higher growth-driven labor and freight expenses, as well as greater facility-related costs. Operating income for the year increased 9% to $341.2 million, up from $313.9 million in 2018. Operating margin increased to 10.7% in 2019 compared to 10.5% in 2018, while base business operating margin improved 40 basis points to 10.9% in 2019. We recorded a $23.5 million, or $0.57 per diluted share, benefit from Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting, for the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to a benefit of $15.3 million, or $0.36 per diluted share, realized in 2018.Net income increased 12% to a record $261.6 million in 2019 compared to $234.5 million in 2018. Earnings per share increased 14% to a record $6.40 per diluted share compared to $5.62 per diluted share in 2018. Excluding the impact from ASU 2016-09 in both periods, earnings per diluted share increased 11% to $5.83 in 2019 compared to $5.26 in 2018. Adjusted EBITDA (as defined in the addendum to this release) increased 8% to $382.2 million in 2019 compared to $353.4 million in 2018 and was 11.9% of net sales in 2019 compared to 11.8% of net sales in 2018.On the balance sheet at December 31, 2019, total net receivables, including pledged receivables, increased 9% compared to 2018, driven by our December sales growth. Inventory levels grew 4% to $702.3 million compared to $672.6 million in 2018, reflecting inventory from acquired businesses of $10.3 million and normal business growth. Total debt outstanding decreased $155.4 million, or 23%, compared to last year’s balance.Cash provided by operations was $298.8 million in 2019, compared to $118.7 million in 2018, an improvement of $180.1 million. The strategic inventory purchases that we made in the latter half of 2018 negatively impacted our 2018 cash flows due to timing differences that reversed in 2019. Our return on invested capital (as defined in the addendum to this release) for 2019 was 29.3% compared to 27.7% in 2018.Net sales increased 7% to $582.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2019 compared to $543.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2018. Gross margin decreased 170 basis points to 27.8% in the fourth quarter of 2019 compared to the fourth quarter of 2018. Gross margin in the fourth quarter of 2018 reflected benefits from strategic inventory purchases ahead of vendor price increases resulting in a comparative decline in the fourth quarter of 2019. Operating income in the fourth quarter of 2019 decreased 1% to $25.8 million compared to $26.0 million in the same period of 2018. Operating margin decreased 40 basis points in the fourth quarter, including a 10 basis point decrease in base business operating margin. We recorded a $2.4 million benefit from ASU 2016-09 in the fourth quarter of 2019 compared to a benefit of $1.4 million realized in the fourth quarter of 2018. Net income in the fourth quarter of 2019 was $18.0 million compared to $16.8 million in the comparable 2018 period. Earnings per diluted share was $0.44 in the fourth quarter of 2019, or $0.38 excluding the $0.06 per diluted share impact from ASU 2016-09, compared to $0.41, or $0.37 excluding the $0.04 impact from ASU 2016-09, for the same period in 2018.“In 2020, we will continue to focus on our operating priorities and making strategic investments that benefit our customers, employees and shareholders. We believe that our competitive advantages continue to grow and underlying demand throughout our industry remains strong. Based on these factors, we expect earnings for 2020 will be in the range of $6.47 to $6.77 per diluted share, including an estimated $0.06 favorable impact from ASU 2016-09,” said Arvan.Based on our December 31, 2019 stock price, we estimate that we have approximately $2.3 million in unrealized excess tax benefits related to stock options that will expire and restricted stock awards that will vest in the first quarter of 2020, adding $0.06 in diluted earnings per share in that period. We have included the estimated first quarter benefit in our annual earnings guidance; however, additional tax benefits could be recognized related to stock option exercises in 2020 from grants that expire in years after 2020, for which we have not included any expected benefits.POOLCORP is the world’s largest wholesale distributor of swimming pool and related backyard products. As of December 31, 2019, POOLCORP operates 373 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,” “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 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 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, excess tax benefits or deficiencies recognized under ASU 2016-09 and other risks detailed in POOLCORP’s 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as updated by POOLCORP’s subsequent filings with the SEC.Curtis J. Scheel
Director of Investor Relations
985.801.5341
[email protected]POOL CORPORATION
Consolidated Statements of Income
 (In thousands, except per share data)⁽¹⁾    Derived from audited financial statements.POOL CORPORATION
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(In thousands)

POOL CORPORATION
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(In thousands)⁽¹⁾    Derived from audited financial statements.ADDENDUM
Base BusinessThe following tables break out our consolidated results into the base business component and the excluded components (sales centers excluded from base business):
We have excluded the results of the following acquisitions from base business for the periods identified:⁽¹⁾    We acquired certain distribution assets of each of these companies.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 centers during 2019.Adjusted EBITDA
We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income or net loss plus interest expense, income taxes, depreciation, amortization, share-based compensation, goodwill and other non-cash impairments and equity earnings or losses in unconsolidated investments. Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of cash flow or liquidity as determined by generally accepted accounting principles (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 liquidity measure in conjunction with cash flows provided by or used in operating activities to help investors understand our ability to provide cash flows to fund growth, service debt and pay dividends as well as compare our cash flow generating capacity from year to year.We believe Adjusted EBITDA should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for, operating income or loss, net income or loss, 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. Other companies may calculate Adjusted EBITDA differently than we do, which may limit its usefulness as a comparative measure.The table below presents a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net cash provided by operating activities. Please see page 6 for our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.⁽¹⁾    Shown net of losses on foreign currency transactions.The table below presents a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA. 
Return on Invested Capital
We calculate Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) using trailing four quarter results. We define ROIC as Net income adjusted for Interest and other non-operating expenses, net (net of taxes at the effective tax rate), divided by the sum of average Long-term debt, net, average Short-term borrowings and the current portion of long-term debt and average Total stockholders’ equity from our financial statements as filed with the SEC. We have included ROIC as a supplemental disclosure because we believe that it may be used by our investors, industry analysts and others as a measure of the efficiency and effectiveness of our use of capital.ROIC is not a measure of financial performance under GAAP. We believe ROIC should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for, operating income or loss, net income or loss, cash flows provided by or used in operating, investing and financing activities or other income statement, balance sheet or cash flow statement line items reported in accordance with GAAP. Other companies may calculate ROIC differently than we do, which may limit its usefulness as a comparative measure. The table below presents our calculation of ROIC at December 31, 2019 and 2018. 

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