Pool’s (POOL) “Overweight” Rating Reiterated at Stephens

Stephens reiterated their overweight rating on shares of Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. Stephens currently has a $225.00 price target on the specialty retailer’s stock.

POOL has been the topic of several other research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $185.00 target price on shares of Pool in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Zacks Research raised shares of Pool from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Pool from $235.00 to $189.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 24th. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on shares of Pool from $280.00 to $227.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Pool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pool presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $235.67.

Pool Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of POOL opened at $187.98 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $200.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $207.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.83 billion, a PE ratio of 17.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.06. Pool has a 12-month low of $172.68 and a 12-month high of $336.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 2.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $5.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.33 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 32.74% and a net margin of 7.40%.The company’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.17 earnings per share. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.660-10.960 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Pool will post 10.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 13th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 13th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is 47.84%.

Pool announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 29th that authorizes the company to repurchase $600.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to purchase up to 7.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Pool by 39.2% during the second quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,805 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,537,000 after purchasing an additional 3,325 shares during the period. Nykredit A S acquired a new stake in Pool in the second quarter worth $384,000. Kerrisdale Advisers LLC raised its holdings in Pool by 39.8% in the second quarter. Kerrisdale Advisers LLC now owns 33,795 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $7,263,000 after purchasing an additional 9,620 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its holdings in Pool by 57.0% in the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 12,160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,614,000 after purchasing an additional 4,415 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of Pool during the second quarter worth $998,000. Institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Stephens reaffirmed its “Overweight” rating on Pool Corporation and maintained a $225 price target, implying substantial upside from the current trading level. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Pool’s latest quarterly results modestly exceeded expectations: earnings per share were $5.38 versus the $5.33 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $1.82 billion and increased 2.2% year over year. Management’s fiscal 2026 EPS guidance remains $10.66–$10.96.
• Neutral Sentiment: The recent report about Nvidia paying $6 billion to license Poolside’s AI software concerns Poolside, not Pool Corporation, and has no apparent impact on POOL. Nvidia Pays $6 Billion to License Poolside AI Model-Development Software
• Neutral Sentiment: Other reports involving Poolin’s cryptocurrency-mining assets, swimming-pool products, and pool-cleaning robots are unrelated to Pool Corporation’s distribution business.
• Negative Sentiment: Although quarterly results were slightly better than expected, revenue was essentially in line with forecasts and the company’s shares remain below both their 50-day and 200-day moving averages, indicating continued technical pressure and investor caution around the pool-construction and renovation market.

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.