William Blair Investment Management LLC Has $172.16 Million Position in Pool Corporation $POOL

William Blair Investment Management LLC cut its stake in Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 5.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 555,230 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 31,080 shares during the quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned approximately 1.49% of Pool worth $172,160,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of POOL. Clearstead Trust LLC purchased a new position in Pool in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Pool during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in shares of Pool in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in Pool in the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in Pool by 164.4% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 156 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pool Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:POOL opened at $227.18 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 2.24. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $248.10 and its 200-day moving average is $271.47. The company has a market cap of $8.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.22. Pool Corporation has a 52-week low of $210.67 and a 52-week high of $374.74.

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

Pool Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 12th will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Pool’s payout ratio is 46.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pool

In related news, SVP Romain Kenneth G. St purchased 5,560 shares of Pool stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $218.67 per share, with a total value of $1,215,805.20. Following the acquisition, 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Melanie M. Hart sold 2,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $605,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 18,039 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,968,580. The trade was a 13.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 3.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on POOL. Cfra raised shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $304.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Pool from $240.00 to $232.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $246.00 target price on shares of Pool in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on Pool from $346.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Pool in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pool has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $281.50.

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.