Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twelve analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $261.3750.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Pool from $240.00 to $210.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Pool from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Oppenheimer cut their target price on shares of Pool from $346.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Pool from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Pool from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 20th.

Pool News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted Pool Corporation as a leader in pool distributors, which may reinforce the company’s long-term competitive positioning and brand strength. What Makes Pool Corporation (POOL) a Leader in Pool Distributors?
• Neutral Sentiment: An additional write-up repeated the same “leader in pool distributors” theme, but it appears to be a commentary piece rather than a new market-moving development. What Makes Pool Corporation (POOL) a Leader in Pool Distributors?
• Neutral Sentiment: The remaining headlines mentioning “pool” were unrelated to Pool Corporation, focusing on the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool and political commentary, so they should not materially affect POOL shares.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pool

In other Pool news, Director John E. Stokely acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $193.06 per share, for a total transaction of $193,060.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 16,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,133,363.80. This trade represents a 6.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez acquired 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $175.95 per share, with a total value of $1,759,500.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 40,108 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,057,002.60. This represents a 33.21% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have acquired 26,989 shares of company stock worth $5,067,747 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Pool

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Henshaw Capital LLC raised its stake in Pool by 128.7% in the 1st quarter. Henshaw Capital LLC now owns 9,364 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,895,000 after purchasing an additional 5,269 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in Pool by 48.0% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 261,402 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,889,000 after purchasing an additional 84,817 shares in the last quarter. Cim LLC raised its stake in Pool by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Cim LLC now owns 3,613 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $731,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its stake in Pool by 9.8% in the 1st quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 1,656 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $335,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Pool by 35.7% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 923 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $187,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of POOL stock opened at $185.52 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $6.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $199.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $224.79. Pool has a one year low of $172.68 and a one year high of $345.00.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion during 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%. Pool’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.32 EPS. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Pool will post 11.08 EPS for the current year.

Pool announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, April 29th that allows the company to repurchase $600.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty retailer to buy up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th were paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. This is a boost from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is 47.84%.

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.