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

Shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $261.3750.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $246.00 price target on shares of Pool in a report on Friday, February 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Pool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Pool from a “sell (d)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Pool from $240.00 to $210.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on Pool from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director James D. Hope acquired 464 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $194.41 per share, with a total value of $90,206.24. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,678 shares in the company, valued at $715,039.98. This represents a 14.44% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez acquired 10,000 shares of Pool stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $190.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,900,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 30,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,720,520. The trade was a 49.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders purchased a total of 22,024 shares of company stock worth $4,424,071 over the last ninety days. 3.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pool

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. CNB Bank grew its holdings in Pool by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. CNB Bank now owns 918 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $285,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH raised its holdings in shares of Pool by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 999 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $310,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in shares of Pool by 22.0% during the 3rd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 227 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Pool by 20.0% during the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 270 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealthspire Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Pool by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 1,051 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Pool

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several recent insider purchases may help support confidence in Pool Corporation (POOL), including director buying activity and a separate 10,000-share purchase disclosed over the weekend. Insider Buying: Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Director Purchases $193,060.00 in Stock Insider Buying: Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Director Acquires $90,206.24 in Stock De La Mesa Manuel Perez Purchases 10,000 Shares of Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus cut its price target on POOL from $240 to $210 while keeping a hold rating, signaling a more cautious outlook but still implying some upside from current levels. Read More
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data reported no meaningful change, so it does not appear to be a major new driver for Pool Corporation today.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of POOL opened at $184.77 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $210.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $236.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. Pool has a 52 week low of $184.50 and a 52 week high of $345.00. The stock has a market cap of $6.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.00, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.16.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion for 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 quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.32 EPS. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Pool will post 11.07 EPS for the current year.

Pool declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, April 29th that allows the company to repurchase $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty retailer to repurchase up to 7.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This is a boost from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is 46.00%.

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.