VELA Investment Management LLC Grows Position in Pool Corporation $POOL

VELA Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 87.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 20,578 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,611 shares during the quarter. Pool makes up 1.1% of VELA Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. VELA Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Pool were worth $4,707,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Pool by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,563,373 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $794,825,000 after purchasing an additional 357,643 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Pool by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 438,476 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $135,958,000 after purchasing an additional 1,337 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Pool by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 356,856 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $110,650,000 after purchasing an additional 2,635 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Pool by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 324,471 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $100,611,000 after purchasing an additional 9,874 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in shares of Pool by 11.5% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 301,343 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $93,437,000 after purchasing an additional 31,117 shares during the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

POOL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $246.00 target price on Pool in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Pool from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Pool from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 20th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Pool from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Pool from $360.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Pool currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $265.13.

Pool News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board authorized a large buyback — management approved up to $600 million in share repurchases (about 7.8% of shares), signaling confidence in the business and supporting EPS/float. RTT News
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend hike — Pool raised its quarterly dividend to $1.30 (a 4.0% increase), with an ex-dividend date of May 14, which strengthens the stock’s income profile for yield-seeking investors. TipRanks
• Neutral Sentiment: Third‑party mention — Pool was included in a Zacks roundup of companies increasing dividends amid market volatility, which may attract income-focused investors but is not unique news. Zacks
• Neutral Sentiment: Retail product noise — consumer stories and deep discounting on robot pool cleaners (flash sales and reviews) increase pool-product visibility but have ambiguous impact on Pool Corp’s pro-focused distribution and margins. MassLive
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue shortfall in last quarter — while Pool beat EPS, reported revenue ($1.14B) materially missed the consensus cited in the background, which has investors concerned about end-market demand and sustainable top-line momentum.
• Negative Sentiment: Technical and liquidity headwinds — shares are trading below the 50‑day and 200‑day moving averages and volume today is below average, which can amplify downside pressure as momentum traders step back.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Romain Kenneth G. St purchased 5,560 shares of Pool stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $218.67 per share, with a total value of $1,215,805.20. Following the completion of the purchase, the senior vice president directly owned 82,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,115,716.15. This trade represents a 7.19% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez purchased 5,000 shares of Pool stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $205.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,025,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 110,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,572,140. This trade represents a 4.76% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Pool Stock Performance

NASDAQ:POOL opened at $208.09 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $213.93 and a 200 day moving average of $240.12. The company has a market capitalization of $7.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.14, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.16. Pool Corporation has a 1-year low of $195.49 and a 1-year high of $345.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.09. Pool had a return on equity of 32.37% and a net margin of 7.57%.The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.32 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Pool Corporation will post 11.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 14th. This is an increase from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.00%.

Pool announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, April 29th that permits the company to repurchase $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the specialty retailer to purchase up to 7.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

About Pool

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.