ELCO Management Co. LLC Buys New Stake in Pool Corporation $POOL

ELCO Management Co. LLC bought a new stake in Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 2,766 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $633,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Pool in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in Pool by 78.6% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 125 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new position in Pool in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in Pool in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in Pool in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Pool

In other Pool news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez acquired 10,000 shares of Pool stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $190.00 per share, with a total value of $1,900,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 30,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,720,520. The trade was a 49.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Melanie M. Hart sold 2,750 shares of Pool stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $605,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 18,039 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,968,580. This represents a 13.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders purchased 22,024 shares of company stock worth $4,424,071 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on POOL. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Pool from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Pool from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of Pool from $346.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Pool from $240.00 to $210.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $261.38.

Trending Headlines about Pool

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several recent insider purchases may help support confidence in Pool Corporation (POOL), including director buying activity and a separate 10,000-share purchase disclosed over the weekend. Insider Buying: Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Director Purchases $193,060.00 in Stock Insider Buying: Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Director Acquires $90,206.24 in Stock De La Mesa Manuel Perez Purchases 10,000 Shares of Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus cut its price target on POOL from $240 to $210 while keeping a hold rating, signaling a more cautious outlook but still implying some upside from current levels. Read More
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data reported no meaningful change, so it does not appear to be a major new driver for Pool Corporation today.

Pool Price Performance

NASDAQ:POOL opened at $184.77 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $210.78 and a 200-day moving average of $236.00. The company has a market capitalization of $6.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.00, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.16. Pool Corporation has a 52 week low of $184.50 and a 52 week high of $345.00. 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) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Pool had a net margin of 7.57% and a return on equity of 32.37%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.32 EPS. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Pool Corporation will post 11.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 29th that permits the company to buyback $600.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the specialty retailer to purchase up to 7.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 14th. This is a positive change from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Pool’s payout ratio is 46.00%.

Pool 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.