Pool Corporation $POOL Shares Sold by First Manhattan CO. LLC.

First Manhattan CO. LLC. lessened its stake in Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 12.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 215,602 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 31,822 shares during the period. First Manhattan CO. LLC.’s holdings in Pool were worth $49,319,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in POOL. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its position in Pool by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 122 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in Pool by 78.6% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 125 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new position in Pool in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Covestor Ltd increased its position in Pool by 348.4% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 139 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in Pool in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Pool

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles are centered on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool algae issue and related political coverage, which is unrelated to Pool Corporation’s business and is unlikely to have a direct impact on POOL shares.
• Neutral Sentiment: No company-specific earnings, guidance, analyst, or acquisition news was included in the latest headlines, so the stock’s move appears more likely tied to broader market sentiment than a fundamental update for Pool Corporation.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on POOL. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on Pool from $346.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Wall Street Zen raised Pool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Pool from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 20th. Zacks Research raised Pool from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $246.00 price objective on Pool in a report on Friday, February 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pool has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $261.38.

Pool Price Performance

Shares of POOL opened at $194.34 on Thursday. Pool Corporation has a twelve month low of $172.68 and a twelve month high of $345.00. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $197.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $222.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.08 billion, a PE ratio of 17.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.09. Pool had a return on equity of 32.37% and a net margin of 7.57%.The company had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.32 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Pool Corporation will post 11.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th were paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This is a positive change from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.84%.

Pool announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, April 29th that permits the company to buyback $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the specialty retailer to buy up to 7.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Pool

In other news, Director James D. Hope purchased 464 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $194.41 per share, with a total value of $90,206.24. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 3,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $715,039.98. The trade was a 14.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director David G. Whalen purchased 525 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $190.44 per share, for a total transaction of $99,981.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 8,936 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,701,771.84. This represents a 6.24% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders acquired 21,989 shares of company stock worth $4,042,747 over the last quarter. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

About Pool

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.