William Blair Brokers Lower Earnings Estimates for Pool

Key Points

• William Blair has reduced its Q1 2026 EPS estimate for Pool Corporation from **$1.59** to **$1.51**, indicating a cautious outlook on the specialty retailer's performance.
• The company's board has approved a **$600 million share repurchase** program, suggesting confidence in the stock's current valuation—as typically indicated by buyback initiatives.
• Pool Corporation recently **increased its quarterly dividend** from **$1.20 to $1.25** per share, reflecting strong financial health with a payout ratio of **46.90%**.

Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) - William Blair reduced their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Pool in a research note issued on Thursday, July 24th. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now forecasts that the specialty retailer will post earnings of $1.51 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.59. The consensus estimate for Pool's current full-year earnings is $11.32 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Pool's Q4 2026 earnings at $1.06 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $12.84 EPS.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The specialty retailer reported $5.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.12 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.79 billion. Pool had a net margin of 7.79% and a return on equity of 30.99%. The company's quarterly revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.99 EPS.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Pool from $310.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Pool in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Pool in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $344.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Pool from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Pool from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $338.71.

Pool Stock Down 1.1%

NASDAQ POOL traded down $3.42 during trading on Monday, reaching $321.48. 561,384 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 647,077. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $301.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $317.77. The stock has a market cap of $12.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.53 and a beta of 1.10. Pool has a 1 year low of $282.22 and a 1 year high of $395.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 2.52.

Pool declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $600.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to reacquire up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This is a boost from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Pool's dividend payout ratio is 46.13%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pool

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of POOL. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Pool by 471.4% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 80 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. City Holding Co. acquired a new position in Pool during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pool during the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Pool by 790.9% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 98 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FWL Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Pool during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Pool

Pool Corporation distributes swimming pool supplies, equipment, and related leisure products in the United States and internationally. The company offers maintenance products, including chemicals, supplies, and pool accessories; repair and replacement parts for pool equipment, such as cleaners, filters, heaters, pumps, and lights; and building materials, such as concrete, plumbing and electrical components, functional and decorative pool surfaces, decking materials, tiles, hardscapes, and natural stones for pool installations and remodeling.