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

Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) shares reached a new 52-week low on Thursday . The company traded as low as $195.80 and last traded at $196.5450, with a volume of 23944 shares. The stock had previously closed at $200.08.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on POOL shares. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Pool from $240.00 to $232.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on shares of Pool from $346.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Pool from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Zacks Research lowered Pool from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $281.50.

Pool Stock Down 1.3%

The firm has a market capitalization of $7.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.17, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.26. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $231.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $253.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 2.24 and a quick ratio of 0.59.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last released 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 firm had revenue of $982.21 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $999.14 million. Pool had a return on equity of 31.49% and a net margin of 7.67%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter 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. Research analysts predict that Pool Corporation will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 12th were given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 12th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.13%.

Insider Transactions at Pool

In other Pool news, SVP Romain Kenneth G. St purchased 5,560 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $218.67 per share, for a total transaction of $1,215,805.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 82,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,115,716.15. This represents a 7.19% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Melanie M. Hart sold 2,750 shares of the business’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 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Pool

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of POOL. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its stake in Pool by 3,879.1% in 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 purchasing an additional 33,089 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in Pool by 1,719.3% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 133,738 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $30,593,000 after buying an additional 126,387 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 1,159 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 719 shares during the period. Finally, Kera Capital Partners Inc. bought a new position in Pool in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $254,000. 98.99% of the stock is 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.