Pool Corporation $POOL Shares Acquired by Polar Asset Management Partners Inc.

Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 120.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 24,902 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 13,602 shares during the period. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. owned about 0.07% of Pool worth $5,038,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Pool by 16.2% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,563,373 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $794,825,000 after buying an additional 357,643 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Pool by 3,831.9% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,001,987 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $457,955,000 after acquiring an additional 1,951,070 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of Pool by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,371,772 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $313,794,000 after acquiring an additional 23,736 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Pool by 21.6% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 837,658 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $191,614,000 after acquiring an additional 148,519 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Pool during the 4th quarter worth $97,612,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Pool reported second-quarter revenue of about $1.82 billion, up 2% year over year, with adjusted EPS of $5.38 beating estimates. The company also said recurring maintenance demand and building materials growth helped offset softness elsewhere. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Management confirmed its annual earnings outlook excluding CEO transition costs, suggesting the core business remains stable despite a mixed quarter. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary has been mixed-to-neutral, with at least one firm maintaining a Hold rating after the earnings release, reinforcing a wait-and-see stance. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Gross margin declined and operating income fell, with management pointing to higher freight costs, customer mix, muted discretionary demand, and weak new pool construction as headwinds. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The company’s FY2026 EPS guidance of $10.66 to $10.96 came in below the market’s expectation, which may be weighing on investor sentiment. Article Title

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Pool news, Director James D. Hope acquired 464 shares of Pool stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $194.41 per share, with a total value of $90,206.24. Following the purchase, the director owned 3,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $715,039.98. The trade was a 14.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez acquired 10,000 shares of Pool stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $175.95 per share, with a total value of $1,759,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 40,108 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,057,002.60. This represents a 33.21% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders bought a total of 21,989 shares of company stock valued at $4,042,747 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird set a $260.00 target price on Pool in a research report on Friday. Wall Street Zen raised Pool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Stephens decreased their price target on Pool from $290.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Pool from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Pool from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $235.67.

Pool Stock Performance

NASDAQ POOL opened at $183.77 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $196.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $216.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 2.67. Pool Corporation has a twelve month low of $172.68 and a twelve month high of $336.15. The stock has a market cap of $6.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.91, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.05.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $5.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.33 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 32.74% and a net margin of 7.40%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.17 earnings per share. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.660-10.960 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Pool Corporation will post 10.98 EPS for the current year.

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

Pool Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 14th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 14th. This is a positive change from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Pool’s payout ratio is presently 47.84%.

Pool 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.