Korea Investment CORP Trims Stock Position in Pool Corporation $POOL

Korea Investment CORP trimmed its holdings in Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 40.7% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 16,936 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 11,631 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP’s holdings in Pool were worth $5,251,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Pool in the first quarter worth about $400,000. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in Pool by 237.9% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 17,390 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $5,536,000 after acquiring an additional 12,244 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in Pool during the first quarter valued at approximately $639,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Pool by 164.4% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 156 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Pool by 201.2% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,012 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $639,000 after purchasing an additional 1,344 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Pool

In related news, SVP Romain Kenneth G. St purchased 5,560 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $218.67 per share, with a total value of $1,215,805.20. Following the purchase, the senior vice president owned 82,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,115,716.15. This represents a 7.19% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Melanie M. Hart sold 2,750 shares of Pool stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $605,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 18,039 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,968,580. The trade was a 13.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Pool Trading Down 3.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:POOL opened at $204.12 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $245.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $265.18. Pool Corporation has a 1 year low of $203.80 and a 1 year high of $345.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 2.24 and a quick ratio of 0.59.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by ($0.15). The company had revenue of $982.21 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $999.14 million. Pool had a return on equity of 31.49% and a net margin of 7.67%.The business’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. 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 forecast that Pool Corporation will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors 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 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 12th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is 46.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

POOL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. 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. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Pool in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on shares of Pool from $346.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $246.00 target price on shares of Pool in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $281.50.

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.