LRT Capital Management LLC Acquires New Position in Pool Corporation $POOL

LRT Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 5,194 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,188,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,575,000. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated purchased a new position in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,399,000. CenterBook Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,381,000. King Luther Capital Management Corp lifted its stake in shares of Pool by 236.4% during the fourth quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 11,146 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,550,000 after buying an additional 7,833 shares during the period. Finally, Perigon Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Pool during the fourth quarter worth approximately $599,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

POOL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $246.00 price target on shares of Pool in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Pool from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Pool from $240.00 to $210.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Zacks Research raised shares of Pool from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their target price on shares of Pool from $346.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Pool has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $261.38.

Pool Price Performance

POOL opened at $195.00 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $198.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $223.17. The firm has a market cap of $7.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.94, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.10. Pool Corporation has a twelve month low of $172.68 and a twelve month high of $345.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last released its quarterly 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. Pool had a net margin of 7.57% and a return on equity of 32.37%. The business’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.32 EPS. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Pool Corporation will post 11.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 14th were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 14th. This is a positive change from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.84%.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director John E. Stokely purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $193.06 per share, with a total value of $193,060.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 16,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,133,363.80. This trade represents a 6.57% 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 James D. Hope acquired 464 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $194.41 per share, with a total value of $90,206.24. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 3,678 shares in the company, valued at $715,039.98. This represents a 14.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders acquired a total of 21,989 shares of company stock valued at $4,042,747 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Pool

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles about swimming pools, pool parties, and robotic pool cleaners highlight continued consumer interest in pool ownership and maintenance during the summer season, which could support demand for Pool Corporation’s products and distribution business. I Test Robotic Pool Cleaners for Work. This Is the One I Use in My Own Pool
• Neutral Sentiment: Other “pool” headlines are unrelated to Pool Corporation’s core business, including technology and news stories that use “pool” in a different context, so they are unlikely to be a direct driver of the stock. Pool’s new app turns your screenshots into something useful
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of a reflecting pool project and other public-pool stories also appears unrelated to the company and should have little direct impact on POOL shares. ‘Oh Wait a Minute’: Trump Declared $14 Million Reflecting Pool Project a Big Success — Less Than 24 Hours Later, Folks Noticed One Embarrassing Detail
• Negative Sentiment: No company-specific negative news was provided, and there is no direct indication of weakness in Pool Corporation’s fundamentals from these articles.

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.