Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Hits New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) hit a new 52-week low on Thursday . The company traded as low as $202.51 and last traded at $203.51, with a volume of 137273 shares. The stock had previously closed at $205.77.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on POOL shares. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Pool from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated 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 research report on Saturday, March 7th. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on shares of Pool from $346.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Cfra raised shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $304.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Pool presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $281.50.

Pool Stock Down 1.8%

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $243.05 and a 200-day moving average of $261.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 2.24 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market cap of $7.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.25.

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). The company had revenue of $982.21 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $999.14 million. Pool had a net margin of 7.67% and a return on equity of 31.49%. Pool’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.97 earnings per share. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.850-11.150 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Pool Corporation will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.13%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez purchased 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $205.00 per share, with a total value of $1,025,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 110,108 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,572,140. The trade was a 4.76% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 transaction of $605,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 18,039 shares in the company, valued at $3,968,580. This represents a 13.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

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.