Brokerages Set Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) Price Target at $261.38

Shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $261.3750.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Pool from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th. Zacks Research raised Pool from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings lowered Pool from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen raised Pool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Pool from $240.00 to $210.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 11th.

Pool News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Recent earnings showed Pool Corporation beat EPS estimates, with $1.43 per share versus the $1.34 consensus, and revenue rose 6.2% year over year, which supports the stock’s upside momentum.
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also reaffirmed full-year 2026 EPS guidance of $10.87 to $11.17, suggesting management remains constructive but not especially above expectations.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several of the latest headlines mentioning “pool” refer to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and unrelated legal/maintenance issues, which do not appear to have any direct impact on Pool Corporation’s business.
• Neutral Sentiment: Short interest data reported for POOL showed no meaningful short-interest build, so there is no obvious squeeze-driven explanation for the move.

Pool Stock Up 2.0%

POOL opened at $211.61 on Wednesday. Pool has a fifty-two week low of $172.68 and a fifty-two week high of $345.00. The business has a 50-day moving average of $196.17 and a 200-day moving average of $220.14. 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 market capitalization of $7.71 billion, a PE ratio of 19.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.10.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.09. Pool had a return on equity of 32.37% and a net margin of 7.57%.The company had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.32 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Pool will post 11.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is a positive change from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Pool’s payout ratio is currently 47.84%.

Pool announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, April 29th that allows the company to repurchase $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty retailer to reacquire up to 7.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Pool news, Director John E. Stokely bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $193.06 per share, with a total value of $193,060.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 16,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,133,363.80. This represents a 6.57% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director James D. Hope bought 464 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $194.41 per share, for a total transaction of $90,206.24. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $715,039.98. The trade was a 14.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders bought 21,989 shares of company stock worth $4,042,747. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Pool

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Pool by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,384 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $685,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Henshaw Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Pool by 128.7% during 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 grew its holdings in shares of Pool by 48.0% during 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 lifted its position in shares of Pool by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Cim LLC now owns 3,613 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $731,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the period. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors lifted its position in shares of Pool by 9.8% during the 1st quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 1,656 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $335,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

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.