Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Sets New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $186.94 and last traded at $187.04, with a volume of 2308859 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $203.23.

Pool News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Appointment of an experienced external CEO and new Executive Chair may support operational continuity and reassure investors about succession planning. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Company has reaffirmed its FY2026 guidance range provided with the April 23 earnings release, which tempers some concerns about near‑term performance despite the management change. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst consensus is middling (average “Hold”), so expect varied broker reactions and mixed guidance on price targets while the new leadership settles in. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Stock downside appears driven by the sudden departure of longtime CEO Peter D. Arvan and the postponement of the May 12 Investor Day — both events that increase short‑term uncertainty and prompted selling pressure. Read More.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on POOL shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Pool from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Pool from a “sell (d)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Pool from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Pool from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Pool from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Pool presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $265.13.

Pool Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $6.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.21, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.16. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $213.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $239.00. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.82 billion. Pool had a net margin of 7.57% and a return on equity of 32.37%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.32 earnings per share. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Pool Corporation will post 11.07 EPS for the current year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 14th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 14th. This is an increase from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Pool’s payout ratio is presently 46.00%.

Pool declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pool

In other news, SVP Romain Kenneth G. St purchased 5,560 shares of Pool stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $218.67 per share, for a total transaction of $1,215,805.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 82,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,115,716.15. This represents a 7.19% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez purchased 5,000 shares of Pool stock in a transaction on Friday, March 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $205.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,025,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 110,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,572,140. This represents a 4.76% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pool

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Pool by 16.2% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,563,373 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $794,825,000 after buying an additional 357,643 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Pool by 3,831.9% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,001,987 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $457,955,000 after buying an additional 1,951,070 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its position in Pool by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,371,772 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $313,794,000 after buying an additional 23,736 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Pool by 21.6% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 837,658 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $191,614,000 after buying an additional 148,519 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Pool by 0.3% in the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 438,476 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $135,958,000 after buying an additional 1,337 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.