Vanguard Group Inc. Decreases Stake in Pool Corporation $POOL

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 10.4% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 3,927,652 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 456,647 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 0.11% of Pool worth $1,217,847,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Berkshire Hathaway Inc lifted its stake in shares of Pool by 136.3% in the second quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc now owns 3,458,885 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,008,196,000 after buying an additional 1,994,885 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Pool by 11.1% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 699,628 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $203,928,000 after acquiring an additional 70,075 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Pool by 35.3% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 616,041 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $179,564,000 after purchasing an additional 160,878 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Pool by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 438,476 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $135,958,000 after purchasing an additional 1,337 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Pool during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $113,617,000. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Pool News

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive on Pool’s longer‑term prospects, citing durable market position in the pool-supply channel; that longer‑term optimism can support the stock even after a weak quarter. Analyst Estimates & Ratings
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q4 earnings call transcript and the company slide presentation are available for deeper read‑through of management’s commentary on demand, margin trends and inventory. Useful for assessing whether the miss reflects transitory factors or a structural slowdown. Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 earnings missed expectations: $0.84 EPS vs. $0.99 consensus and revenue of $982.2M vs. $999.1M, with revenue down vs. year‑ago — a clear near‑term bearish catalyst. Zacks: Q4 Miss
• Negative Sentiment: FY‑2026 EPS guidance was provided at $10.85–$11.15, below the Street’s ~$11.58 consensus, which pressures near‑term sentiment and analyst models. Company Guidance (Press Release/Slides)
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo cut its price target to $230 from $275 and moved POOL to an “equal weight” rating, removing some upside expectations from a previously higher baseline. Benzinga: Wells Fargo PT Cut
• Negative Sentiment: Third‑party commentary points to softer end‑market demand; Conestoga Capital highlighted soft demand in its investor letter, reinforcing concerns about near‑term volume pressure. InsiderMonkey: Soft Demand
• Negative Sentiment: Op‑ed/analysis articles argue POOL still looks expensive on current multiples absent a clear rebound, which could cap near‑term upside. Seeking Alpha: Valuation Concerns

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on POOL shares. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Pool from $360.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Pool in a report on Monday, December 29th. Cfra raised Pool from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $304.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Pool from $295.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Pool from $275.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $290.75.

Pool Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ POOL opened at $221.62 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.26 billion, a PE ratio of 20.44, a PEG ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 1.22. Pool Corporation has a twelve month low of $211.56 and a twelve month high of $374.74. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $249.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $274.82.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by ($0.15). The firm had revenue of $982.21 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $999.14 million. Pool had a net margin of 7.67% and a return on equity of 31.49%. The business’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.97 earnings per share. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.850-11.150 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Pool Corporation will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Company Profile

Pool Corporation is a leading wholesale distributor of swimming pool supplies, equipment, and related outdoor living products. Headquartered in Covington, Louisiana, the company serves a diverse customer base that includes service professionals, independent retailers, high-volume builders, and national retail chains. Pool Corporation’s extensive branch network enables it to maintain strong local customer relationships while leveraging its scale to source products efficiently from manufacturers around the world.

The company’s product portfolio spans pool and spa chemicals, water treatment equipment, pumps, filters, heaters, automation and control systems, liners, safety covers, and cleaning accessories.