Handelsbanken Fonder AB Acquires 26,200 Shares of Pool Corporation $POOL

Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its holdings in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 20.2% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 156,044 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 26,200 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Pool were worth $48,385,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Diversify Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Pool by 1.2% in the third quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,963 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,849,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Pool by 949.0% in the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 10,794 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,347,000 after buying an additional 9,765 shares during the last quarter. Waratah Capital Advisors Ltd. raised its position in shares of Pool by 460.7% during the 3rd quarter. Waratah Capital Advisors Ltd. now owns 71,891 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $22,291,000 after buying an additional 59,070 shares in the last quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. raised its position in shares of Pool by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. now owns 886 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $275,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Koshinski Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Pool by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 857 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $266,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Pool news, SVP Romain Kenneth G. St purchased 5,560 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $218.67 per share, with a total value of $1,215,805.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 82,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,115,716.15. This trade represents a 7.19% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Melanie M. Hart sold 2,750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,968,580. This trade represents a 13.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Pool from $360.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Pool from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 20th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Pool from $240.00 to $232.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Cfra upgraded Pool from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $304.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Pool in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pool presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $281.50.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of POOL stock opened at $227.18 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.96, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.22. Pool Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $210.67 and a fifty-two week high of $374.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 2.24. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $248.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $271.75.

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

Pool Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be given a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Pool’s payout ratio is presently 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.