Findlay Park Partners LLP Decreases Stock Position in Pool Corporation $POOL

Findlay Park Partners LLP trimmed its stake in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 242,475 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 4,200 shares during the quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP owned approximately 0.65% of Pool worth $75,184,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of POOL. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its position in shares of Pool by 20.2% in the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 156,044 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $48,385,000 after buying an additional 26,200 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Pool by 1.2% in the third quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,963 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,849,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Pool by 949.0% in the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 10,794 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,347,000 after acquiring an additional 9,765 shares in the last quarter. Waratah Capital Advisors Ltd. increased its position in Pool by 460.7% during the 3rd quarter. Waratah Capital Advisors Ltd. now owns 71,891 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $22,291,000 after purchasing an additional 59,070 shares during the period. Finally, Mufg Securities Americas Inc. raised its holdings in Pool by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. now owns 886 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $275,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Pool news, SVP Romain Kenneth G. St bought 5,560 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $218.67 per share, for a total transaction of $1,215,805.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 82,845 shares in the company, valued at $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Melanie M. Hart sold 2,750 shares of Pool stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $605,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 18,039 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,968,580. This trade represents a 13.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

POOL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Cfra upgraded shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $304.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Pool from $240.00 to $232.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Pool from $360.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on Pool from $346.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Pool from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pool has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $281.50.

Pool Stock Up 1.7%

NASDAQ POOL opened at $227.18 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. Pool Corporation has a 52 week low of $210.67 and a 52 week high of $374.74. The company has a market capitalization of $8.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.22. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $248.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $271.75.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by ($0.15). The firm 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%. The firm’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.97 earnings per share. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.850-11.150 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Pool Corporation will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Announces Dividend

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

Pool 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.