Pool Corporation $POOL Shares Acquired by Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Conestoga Capital Advisors increased its stake in Pool Corporation by 17.3% to 144,707 shares (about $33.1 million), and institutional investors/hedge funds now own roughly 99% of the stock.
• The board approved a $600 million share repurchase program (about 7.8% of shares) and raised the quarterly dividend to $1.30 (a 4% increase), signaling management confidence and a boost to shareholder returns.
• Pool reported quarterly EPS of $1.43 (vs. $1.34 consensus) and set FY2026 guidance of $10.87–$11.17 EPS, roughly in line with analyst expectations.

Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 17.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 144,707 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 21,298 shares during the period. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC owned 0.39% of Pool worth $33,102,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in POOL. Caledonia Investments PLC raised its position in Pool by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Caledonia Investments PLC now owns 160,887 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $49,886,000 after purchasing an additional 8,000 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated acquired a new stake in Pool in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,399,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in Pool by 42.2% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 15,333 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $4,741,000 after purchasing an additional 4,551 shares in the last quarter. Waters Parkerson & CO. LLC raised its position in Pool by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Waters Parkerson & CO. LLC now owns 114,317 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $35,446,000 after purchasing an additional 2,024 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Pool in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,855,000. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on POOL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $246.00 price objective on Pool in a report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Pool from a "sell (d)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Pool from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Pool from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on Pool from $346.00 to $280.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Pool currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $265.13.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Romain Kenneth G. St purchased 5,560 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were bought at an average price of $218.67 per share, with a total value of $1,215,805.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 82,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,115,716.15. This represents a 7.19% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Melanie M. Hart sold 2,750 shares of Pool stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $605,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 18,039 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,968,580. This trade represents a 13.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Pool News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board expanded share repurchase program to $600 million (authorization to buy ~7.8% of shares), signaling management views shares as undervalued and increasing potential EPS support from buybacks. Pool Corporation press release
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend increased to $1.30 per share (4.0% rise vs. prior $1.25); ex-dividend/record/payment dates announced — raises yield and returns cash to owners, making the stock more attractive to income-focused investors. TipRanks: Pool expands buyback and increases dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research moved Pool from "strong sell" to "hold", a modestly supportive analyst action but not a strong buy signal; may temper downside sentiment. Zacks Research
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry/consumer coverage includes reviews of standalone robotic pool cleaners (Wybot B1, Aiper Scuba V3). These product reviews highlight demand for automatic pool maintenance tools but are not direct news about Pool Corp’s operations; could be watched for retail demand trends. PopSci: Wybot B1 review Android Authority: Aiper Scuba V3 review

Pool Stock Up 1.8%

POOL opened at $213.32 on Friday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $213.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $240.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 1.87. Pool Corporation has a one year low of $195.49 and a one year high of $345.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.26.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 32.37% and a net margin of 7.57%.The firm's revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.32 earnings per share. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Pool Corporation will post 11.07 EPS for the current year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. This is a positive change from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 14th. Pool's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.00%.

Pool declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase 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 typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding POOL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.