Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Director De La Mesa Manuel Perez Purchases 10,000 Shares

Key Points

• Director De La Mesa Manuel Perez bought 10,000 Pool shares at $190 each, a $1.9 million purchase that lifted his holdings by nearly 50% to 30,108 shares.
• Pool also announced a new $600 million share repurchase program and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.30 per share from $1.25, signaling confidence in the business and returning more cash to shareholders.
• The company’s latest results topped EPS estimates, but the stock is trading near its 12-month low and analysts currently rate it Hold on average, reflecting mixed sentiment despite solid earnings and guidance.

Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) Director De La Mesa Manuel Perez purchased 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $190.00 per share, with a total value of $1,900,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 30,108 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,720,520. This represents a 49.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Pool Trading Down 1.8%

Pool stock traded down $3.41 during trading on Friday, reaching $187.04. The company had a trading volume of 592,542 shares, compared to its average volume of 830,944. Pool Corporation has a 12-month low of $184.50 and a 12-month high of $345.00. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $212.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $237.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.23, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.16. 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 (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.09. Pool had a net margin of 7.57% and a return on equity of 32.37%. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.32 earnings per share. Pool's revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Pool Corporation will post 11.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, April 29th that allows the company to buyback $600.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the specialty retailer to purchase up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 14th will be issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 14th. This is a positive change from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Pool's payout ratio is presently 47.84%.

Key Headlines Impacting Pool

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst note: Seeking Alpha highlights that an abrupt CEO change has not disrupted reported earnings and that at least one firm raised its rating on POOL, which supports near-term confidence in the company’s operating performance. Pool Corporation: Abrupt CEO Change Doesn't Disrupt Earnings (Rating Upgrade)
• Positive Sentiment: Recent results and guidance: Pool beat Q1 EPS (reported $1.43 vs. $1.34 consensus), delivered modest revenue growth year‑over‑year, and set FY2026 EPS guidance of $10.87–$11.17, roughly in line with analyst expectations—factors that support valuation and earnings visibility.
• Neutral Sentiment: Weather-adaptive AI for pools: Coverage on emerging “weather‑adaptive” AI for pool systems points to potential longer‑term product/service innovation (automation, energy/chemistry optimization), but adoption and revenue impact for Pool Corp are speculative at this stage. Weather-Adaptive AI Just Reached the Pool. Here's What That Mean
• Neutral Sentiment: Local demand signals and consumer content: Several consumer pieces—regional “Are Pool Builders West Palm Beach Worth Hiring Now?”, Investopedia on pool financing, People.com product reviews, and a discounted robotic cleaner deal—show steady consumer interest and product spending but don’t directly change Pool Corp’s near‑term revenue visibility. Are Pool Builders West Palm Beach Worth Hiring Now? Swimming Pool Financing: What To Know The Best Suction and Pressure-Side Pool Cleaners, Tested and Reviewed DREAME Z1 Pro Robotic Pool Cleaner is now cheaper than Black Friday
• Negative Sentiment: Technical/valuation and uncertainty: Despite the EPS beat, shares are trading near their 12‑month low with the 50‑day moving average below the 200‑day, lower-than-average intraday volume, and modest leverage (debt/equity ~1.09). The abrupt CEO change, while not yet reflected in results, creates short‑term governance/uncertainty risk that can pressure the stock.

Institutional Trading of Pool

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Caledonia Investments PLC increased its stake in Pool by 5.2% during the third 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 during the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated bought a new stake in Pool during the fourth quarter valued at $2,399,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in Pool by 42.2% during the third 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 during the last quarter. Waters Parkerson & CO. LLC increased its stake in Pool by 1.8% during the third 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in Pool during the third quarter valued at $2,376,000. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

POOL has been the subject of several research reports. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Pool from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Zacks Research raised shares of Pool from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $246.00 target price on shares of Pool in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Pool from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of Pool from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $265.13.

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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