Fifth Third Bancorp Has $9.25 Million Position in Pool Corporation $POOL

Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 4,382.5% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 45,722 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 44,702 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in Pool were worth $9,251,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Pool during the first quarter worth about $400,000. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in Pool by 237.9% in 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 during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in Pool in the first quarter valued at approximately $639,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in Pool by 164.4% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 156 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its position in Pool by 201.2% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,012 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $639,000 after purchasing an additional 1,344 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer was bullish on Pool Corp., highlighting it as a buy idea in a recent segment, which may help support investor sentiment. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Pool Corporation is scheduled to report second-quarter 2026 results on July 23, keeping the stock sensitive to any industry news or earnings positioning ahead of the release. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The company previously reported first-quarter revenue growth and held full-year guidance, but investors remain focused on whether demand and inventory trends stay stable into the summer selling season. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A large pool-industry peer reported a sharp sales miss tied to inventory destocking in the pool distribution channel and cut its full-year outlook, fueling concerns that distributors like Pool Corporation could face softer near-term orders. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Reports about destocking and weaker pool-segment demand have pressured the broader pool supply chain, which appears to be weighing on POOL shares even without a company-specific negative announcement. Article Title

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Pool from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Zacks Research raised shares of Pool from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Pool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Pool from $210.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Pool from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $264.50.

Pool Price Performance

Shares of POOL opened at $202.37 on Thursday. Pool Corporation has a 52-week low of $172.68 and a 52-week 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $194.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $217.86. The firm has a market cap of $7.37 billion, a PE ratio of 18.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.05.

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

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. This is a boost from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 14th. Pool’s payout ratio is currently 47.84%.

Pool declared that its board has authorized 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 repurchase up to 7.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Pool

In related news, Director David G. Whalen acquired 525 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the acquisition, the director owned 8,936 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,701,771.84. This trade represents a 6.24% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director John E. Stokely acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $193.06 per share, for a total transaction of $193,060.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 16,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,133,363.80. This represents a 6.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have acquired 21,989 shares of company stock valued at $4,042,747. Company insiders own 3.00% 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.