Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Receives “Overweight” Rating from Stephens

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL)‘s stock had its “overweight” rating reissued by analysts at Stephens in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $225.00 price objective on the specialty retailer’s stock. Stephens’ price target would indicate a potential upside of 14.80% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Bank of America dropped their price target on Pool from $226.00 to $206.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Pool in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Pool from $235.00 to $189.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $185.00 price target on shares of Pool in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Pool from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $235.67.

Pool Stock Up 4.5%

NASDAQ:POOL opened at $195.99 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $7.12 billion, a PE ratio of 18.03, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.06. Pool has a 52-week low of $172.68 and a 52-week high of $336.15. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $200.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $208.13. 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 (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $5.38 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 the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Pool had a net margin of 7.40% and a return on equity of 32.74%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.17 EPS. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.660-10.960 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Pool will post 10.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, April 29th that allows the company to repurchase $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty retailer to reacquire up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Pool

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in POOL. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Pool during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $400,000. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in Pool by 237.9% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 17,390 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $5,536,000 after purchasing an additional 12,244 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in Pool in the 1st quarter worth about $639,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Pool by 164.4% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 156 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pool by 201.2% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,012 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $639,000 after buying an additional 1,344 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by 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.