Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Reaches New 1-Year Low - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Pool shares hit a new 52-week low of $172.62 and remain below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages, signaling continued technical weakness without a fresh earnings, guidance, or operational catalyst.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but leans toward caution: Pool has an average “Hold” rating, with a consensus price target of $230.10 after several firms recently lowered their targets.
• The company exceeded quarterly EPS estimates and reported 2.2% year-over-year revenue growth, while maintaining a $5.20 annual dividend, representing an approximately 3.0% yield.

Shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $172.62 and last traded at $172.7660, with a volume of 400049 shares. The stock had previously closed at $175.76.

Key Pool News

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Articles discussing heat pumps and solar pool heaters indicate ongoing consumer interest in pool heating, which could modestly support demand across the pool-equipment industry. However, the reports do not identify Pool Corporation or quantify any benefit to its sales. Heat Pumps For Swimming Pools in Hyderabad
• Neutral Sentiment: A market update reported zero short interest for Pool, but the comparison showed an invalid percentage change and a zero days-to-cover ratio. The data therefore offers little useful insight into investor positioning or near-term trading pressure.
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports about a damaged Washington, D.C., reflecting pool, a swimming kitten, and hourly backyard-pool rentals are unrelated to Pool Corporation’s operations and should not affect its valuation. DC Reflecting Pool Repair
• Negative Sentiment: No fresh earnings, guidance, analyst-revision, or operational update for Pool Corporation appeared in the supplied news. With shares already well below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages, the absence of a positive catalyst may leave the stock vulnerable to continued weakness.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on POOL. Robert W. Baird set a $260.00 price objective on Pool in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $185.00 price target on Pool in a research note on Friday, July 24th. DA Davidson assumed coverage on Pool in a report on Monday, August 24th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $210.00 price target for the company. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on Pool from $280.00 to $227.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Pool from $215.00 to $185.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $230.10.

Pool Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $6.30 billion, a PE ratio of 15.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.06. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $194.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $200.07. The company has a current ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $5.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.33 by $0.05. Pool had a net margin of 7.40% and a return on equity of 32.74%. The company had revenue of $1.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.17 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.660-10.960 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Pool Corporation will post 10.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 13th were paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 13th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Pool's dividend payout ratio is presently 47.84%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its position in shares of Pool by 20,918.8% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 8,205,097 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,763,275,000 after acquiring an additional 8,166,060 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Pool during the 2nd quarter valued at about $866,576,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Pool by 3,831.9% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,001,987 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $457,955,000 after acquiring an additional 1,951,070 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Pool in the 2nd quarter valued at about $148,216,000. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LP purchased a new position in shares of Pool in the 2nd quarter valued at about $93,011,000. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Pool

Pool Corporation, doing business as POOLCORP, is a distributor of swimming pool supplies, equipment and related outdoor-living products. The company serves swimming pool contractors, retailers, service companies and other industry professionals, providing products such as pumps, filters, heaters, chemicals, lighting, cleaners, replacement parts and maintenance supplies.

POOLCORP also distributes products used in the construction and enhancement of outdoor living spaces, including patio and landscape materials, irrigation products, outdoor kitchens and related equipment.

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