Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Pool Corporation has a consensus analyst rating of "Hold", with 12 analysts covering the stock: two sells, six holds, and four buys. The average 12-month price target is about $261.38.
• The company recently reported mixed earnings: Q1 EPS of $1.43 beat estimates, but revenue of $1.14 billion fell well short of expectations. Pool also issued FY 2026 EPS guidance of 10.87 to 11.17.
• Pool announced a $600 million share repurchase program and increased its quarterly dividend to $1.30 per share from $1.25, implying an annualized yield of about 2.7%.

Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Hold" by the twelve analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $261.3750.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on POOL. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on Pool from $346.00 to $280.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Pool from $240.00 to $210.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Pool from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen raised Pool from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Pool from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th.

Pool News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: No relevant Pool Corporation news was included in the feed, so there is no direct evidence of a new operational, financial, or strategic development affecting POOL shares.
• Neutral Sentiment: Most of the articles reference a “reflecting pool” in Washington, D.C., which is unrelated to Pool Corporation’s business and should not be viewed as a fundamental driver for the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: POOL had been trading below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages before this news, which suggests the stock was already under pressure; however, these articles do not provide a new reason for that weakness.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Pool news, Director John E. Stokely purchased 1,000 shares of Pool stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $193.06 per share, for a total transaction of $193,060.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 16,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,133,363.80. This trade represents a 6.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez purchased 10,000 shares of Pool stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $175.95 per share, for a total transaction of $1,759,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 40,108 shares in the company, valued at $7,057,002.60. This trade represents a 33.21% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have purchased 21,989 shares of company stock worth $4,042,747 in the last quarter. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Pool by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 122 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in Pool by 78.6% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 125 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pool during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Pool by 348.4% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 139 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in shares of Pool during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Pool Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of POOL stock opened at $194.84 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $196.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $220.68. Pool has a 12-month low of $172.68 and a 12-month high of $345.00. The firm has a market cap of $7.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.10.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.32 EPS. Pool's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Pool will post 11.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 29th that allows the company to buyback $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the specialty retailer to reacquire up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 14th were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. This is a boost from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Pool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.84%.

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.

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