Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) Receives $261.38 Average Price Target from Analysts

Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $261.3750.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on POOL. Wall Street Zen upgraded Pool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Bank of America lowered their price target on Pool from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 20th. Zacks Research upgraded Pool from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Pool from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Pool from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th.

Pool News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Recent earnings showed Pool Corporation beat EPS estimates, with $1.43 per share versus the $1.34 consensus, and revenue rose 6.2% year over year, which supports the stock’s upside momentum.
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also reaffirmed full-year 2026 EPS guidance of $10.87 to $11.17, suggesting management remains constructive but not especially above expectations.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several of the latest headlines mentioning “pool” refer to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and unrelated legal/maintenance issues, which do not appear to have any direct impact on Pool Corporation’s business.
• Neutral Sentiment: Short interest data reported for POOL showed no meaningful short-interest build, so there is no obvious squeeze-driven explanation for the move.

Pool Price Performance

Shares of POOL opened at $211.61 on Wednesday. Pool has a 52-week low of $172.68 and a 52-week high of $345.00. The company has a market capitalization of $7.71 billion, a PE ratio of 19.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $196.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $220.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 32.37% and a net margin of 7.57%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.32 EPS. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Pool will post 11.08 EPS for the current year.

Pool declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, April 29th that allows the company to buyback $600.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the specialty retailer to purchase up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is a boost from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.84%.

Insider Transactions at Pool

In other news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez bought 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $175.95 per share, for a total transaction of $1,759,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 40,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,057,002.60. The trade was a 33.21% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director David G. Whalen bought 525 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $190.44 per share, with a total value of $99,981.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 8,936 shares in the company, valued at $1,701,771.84. This trade represents a 6.24% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have purchased 21,989 shares of company stock valued at $4,042,747. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pool

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Pool by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,384 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $685,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. Henshaw Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Pool by 128.7% during the 1st quarter. Henshaw Capital LLC now owns 9,364 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,895,000 after acquiring an additional 5,269 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in Pool by 48.0% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 261,402 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,889,000 after acquiring an additional 84,817 shares during the period. Cim LLC boosted its holdings in Pool by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Cim LLC now owns 3,613 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $731,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors boosted its holdings in Pool by 9.8% during the 1st quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 1,656 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $335,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.