Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. Acquires New Holdings in Pool Corporation $POOL

Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 51,800 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $11,132,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in POOL. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Pool in the second quarter valued at about $866,576,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,951,070 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Pool during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $148,216,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Pool during the 4th quarter worth approximately $97,612,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised 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 worth $794,825,000 after purchasing an additional 357,643 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of POOL opened at $186.36 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $200.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $206.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 2.67. The company has a market capitalization of $6.77 billion, a PE ratio of 17.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.06. Pool Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $172.68 and a fifty-two week high of $336.15.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $5.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.33 by $0.05. Pool had a return on equity of 32.74% and a net margin of 7.40%.The business had revenue of $1.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $5.17 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.660-10.960 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Pool Corporation will post 10.94 EPS for the current year.

Pool announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 29th that allows the company to repurchase $600.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty retailer to reacquire up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Pool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 13th will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 13th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is 47.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on POOL. Robert W. Baird set a $260.00 target price on Pool in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Pool from $235.00 to $189.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 24th. DA Davidson began coverage on Pool in a report on Monday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $210.00 price target for the company. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $225.00 price objective on shares of Pool in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Pool in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $233.10.

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.