BlackRock Inc. Purchases Shares of 4,032,463 Pool Corporation $POOL

Key Points

• BlackRock acquired 4.03 million Pool Corporation shares worth approximately $866.6 million, giving it an 11.1% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 98.99% of POOL.
• Pool’s latest quarterly earnings slightly exceeded expectations, with EPS of $5.38 versus $5.33 expected and revenue of $1.82 billion, up 2.2% year over year. Fiscal 2026 EPS guidance remains $10.66–$10.96.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed, with a consensus “Hold” rating and $235.67 target price, while shares recently traded at $187.98—below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages. The company also announced a $1.30 quarterly dividend and a $600 million share-buyback authorization.

BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 4,032,463 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $866,576,000. BlackRock Inc. owned 11.10% of Pool as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of POOL. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Pool by 197.5% in the 1st quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 170,676 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $34,533,000 after acquiring an additional 113,306 shares during the last quarter. Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Pool during the 4th quarter worth about $4,575,000. King Luther Capital Management Corp lifted its stake in Pool by 236.4% in the fourth quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 11,146 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,550,000 after acquiring an additional 7,833 shares during the last quarter. CenterBook Partners LP acquired a new position in Pool during the fourth quarter worth $3,381,000. Finally, LRT Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pool during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,188,000. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Pool News

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Stephens reaffirmed its “Overweight” rating on Pool Corporation and maintained a $225 price target, implying substantial upside from the current trading level. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Pool’s latest quarterly results modestly exceeded expectations: earnings per share were $5.38 versus the $5.33 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $1.82 billion and increased 2.2% year over year. Management’s fiscal 2026 EPS guidance remains $10.66–$10.96.
• Neutral Sentiment: The recent report about Nvidia paying $6 billion to license Poolside’s AI software concerns Poolside, not Pool Corporation, and has no apparent impact on POOL. Nvidia Pays $6 Billion to License Poolside AI Model-Development Software
• Neutral Sentiment: Other reports involving Poolin’s cryptocurrency-mining assets, swimming-pool products, and pool-cleaning robots are unrelated to Pool Corporation’s distribution business.
• Negative Sentiment: Although quarterly results were slightly better than expected, revenue was essentially in line with forecasts and the company’s shares remain below both their 50-day and 200-day moving averages, indicating continued technical pressure and investor caution around the pool-construction and renovation market.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

POOL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $225.00 price target on shares of Pool in a report on Thursday. Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of Pool from $280.00 to $227.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 24th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Pool from $235.00 to $189.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $185.00 price target on Pool in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Pool from $226.00 to $206.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 20th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $235.67.

Pool Stock Down 1.2%

POOL stock opened at $187.98 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 2.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. The company has a market cap of $6.83 billion, a PE ratio of 17.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.06. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $200.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $207.54. Pool Corporation has a 52 week low of $172.68 and a 52 week high of $336.15.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $5.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $5.17 earnings per share. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.660-10.960 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Pool Corporation will post 10.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 13th will be issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 13th. Pool's payout ratio is presently 47.84%.

Pool declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, April 29th that authorizes the company to buyback $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to reacquire 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.

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.

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