Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Purchases 16,890 Shares of Pool Corporation $POOL

Key Points

• Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky bought 16,890 shares of Pool Corporation in Q4 (a 47.0% increase), bringing its holding to 52,822 shares worth about $12.08 million (≈0.14% of the company).
• Pool reported a Q1 EPS beat ($1.43 vs. $1.34) and reaffirmed FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $10.87–$11.17 with ~6% sales growth, but faces headwinds from a ~14% inventory build, a ~20 bp gross‑margin decline and higher debt (~$222.6M) from buybacks, leaving analysts mixed and a consensus "Hold" target of $274.56.

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky raised its position in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 47.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 52,822 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 16,890 shares during the quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky owned about 0.14% of Pool worth $12,083,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Pool during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new stake in Pool in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in Pool in the second quarter worth $33,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in Pool by 78.6% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 125 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its position in shares of Pool by 133.3% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 126 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Pool

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and guidance reaffirmed — POOL reported Q1 EPS above expectations, raised or reaffirmed its FY‑2026 EPS range of $10.87–$11.17 and highlighted 6% sales growth and operating income expansion; investors are rewarding the better‑than‑expected EPS and the company’s confident outlook. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price target bump — Stifel raised its POOL price target to $240 (still a Hold), providing some incremental analyst support to the shares. Read more via Benzinga. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Earnings call tone constructive — Management emphasized resilient maintenance demand, gradual recovery in discretionary categories, contribution from greenfield locations and confidence in driving operating‑expense leverage as new centers mature. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Consumer interest signals — coverage of pool‑cleaning robots and related pool‑product shopping (wired articles) could support seasonal demand for pool accessories and maintenance products, but impact on wholesale distributor POOL is indirect and timing‑dependent. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst stance mixed — some firms maintain Hold/Neutral ratings citing balanced risk/reward amid margin pressures and macro uncertainty; that tempers near‑term upside despite the beat. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Inventory build and margin pressure — inventory rose ~14% year‑over‑year and gross margin fell ~20 bps (to 29.0%) due to seasonal mix and early buys; higher inventories may pressure working capital and margins into the season. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Higher leverage from buybacks — total debt increased materially (about $222.6M) largely to fund ~$349M of open‑market share repurchases; higher interest expense and leverage are risks if discretionary demand weakens. Read More.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

POOL has been the subject of several analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $246.00 price objective on Pool in a report on Friday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Pool from $360.00 to $310.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Pool from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Pool from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Pool from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $274.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Melanie M. Hart sold 2,750 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $605,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 18,039 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,968,580. This trade represents a 13.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Romain Kenneth G. St bought 5,560 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were acquired 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 of the company's stock, valued at $18,115,716.15. This trade represents a 7.19% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 3.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of POOL stock opened at $232.55 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $216.54 and a 200 day moving average of $241.90. Pool Corporation has a 1 year low of $195.49 and a 1 year high of $345.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.26.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 32.37% and a net margin of 7.57%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.32 EPS. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Pool Corporation will post 11 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 12th were issued a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 12th. Pool's dividend payout ratio is 46.00%.

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.

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