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

Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $281.50.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on Pool from $346.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $246.00 price objective on shares of Pool in a report on Friday, February 20th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Pool from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Pool from $240.00 to $232.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Pool in a research report on Monday, December 29th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez bought 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $205.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,025,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 110,108 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,572,140. The trade was a 4.76% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Melanie M. Hart sold 2,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $605,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 18,039 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,968,580. This trade represents a 13.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pool

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Pool by 3,879.1% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 33,942 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $7,764,000 after acquiring an additional 33,089 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Pool by 1,719.3% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 133,738 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $30,593,000 after acquiring an additional 126,387 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in Pool by 3,512.1% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,192 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $273,000 after purchasing an additional 1,159 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Pool by 27.5% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,333 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $762,000 after purchasing an additional 719 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kera Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new position in Pool during the 4th quarter valued at about $254,000. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of POOL stock opened at $200.34 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.48, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.25. Pool has a one year low of $197.68 and a one year high of $345.00. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $241.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $259.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 2.24.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.99 by ($0.15). Pool had a net margin of 7.67% and a return on equity of 31.49%. The firm had revenue of $982.21 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $999.14 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.97 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.850-11.150 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Pool will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 12th will be paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is 46.13%.

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.