First Manhattan CO. LLC. Decreases Stock Position in Pool Corporation $POOL

First Manhattan CO. LLC. cut its stake in Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 12.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 215,602 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 31,822 shares during the period. First Manhattan CO. LLC. owned about 0.58% of Pool worth $49,319,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new position in Pool in the fourth quarter valued at $4,575,000. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated acquired a new stake in Pool in the fourth quarter valued at $2,399,000. CenterBook Partners LP acquired a new stake in Pool in the fourth quarter valued at $3,381,000. King Luther Capital Management Corp raised its stake in Pool by 236.4% in the fourth quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 11,146 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,550,000 after buying an additional 7,833 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caledonia Investments PLC raised its stake in Pool by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. Caledonia Investments PLC now owns 175,887 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $40,236,000 after buying an additional 15,000 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Pool

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles are centered on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool algae issue and related political coverage, which is unrelated to Pool Corporation’s business and is unlikely to have a direct impact on POOL shares.
• Neutral Sentiment: No company-specific earnings, guidance, analyst, or acquisition news was included in the latest headlines, so the stock’s move appears more likely tied to broader market sentiment than a fundamental update for Pool Corporation.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on POOL shares. Weiss Ratings cut Pool from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Pool from $240.00 to $210.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Pool from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Pool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $246.00 price target on Pool in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $261.38.

Pool Stock Down 1.9%

POOL opened at $194.34 on Thursday. Pool Corporation has a one year low of $172.68 and a one year high of $345.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 1.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.10. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $197.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $222.02.

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

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Investors 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 yield of 2.7%. This is a boost from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.84%.

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

Insider Transactions at Pool

In other news, Director David G. Whalen purchased 525 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $190.44 per share, for a total transaction of $99,981.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 8,936 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,701,771.84. This represents a 6.24% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director James D. Hope purchased 464 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $194.41 per share, for a total transaction of $90,206.24. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 3,678 shares in the company, valued at $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 have bought 21,989 shares of company stock worth $4,042,747. 3.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.