De La Mesa Manuel Perez Acquires 10,000 Shares of Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Stock

Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) Director De La Mesa Manuel Perez bought 10,000 shares of Pool stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $175.95 per share, with a total value of $1,759,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 40,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,057,002.60. This trade represents a 33.21% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Pool Price Performance

Pool stock traded down $0.13 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $175.24. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 900,452 shares, compared to its average volume of 839,743. Pool Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $173.62 and a fifty-two 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. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $208.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $234.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.39 billion, a PE ratio of 16.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.16.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 32.37% and a net margin of 7.57%.The business’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.32 EPS. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Pool Corporation will post 11.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This is a boost from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.84%.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on POOL. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Pool from $240.00 to $210.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Pool from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen raised Pool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Pool from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Pool from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $261.38.

Institutional Trading of Pool

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its position in Pool by 18.1% during the 1st quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 33,619 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $6,802,000 after purchasing an additional 5,155 shares in the last quarter. Gibbs Wealth Management increased its position in Pool by 57.9% during the 1st quarter. Gibbs Wealth Management now owns 3,084 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $624,000 after purchasing an additional 1,131 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. increased its position in Pool by 146.9% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 159,799 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $32,331,000 after purchasing an additional 95,074 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in Pool by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 10,505 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,125,000 after buying an additional 377 shares during the period. Finally, Alpha Family Trust acquired a new position in shares of Pool during the 1st quarter valued at about $214,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Director David G. Whalen bought 525 shares of Pool Corporation at $190.44, a bullish insider signal that may reassure investors after the stock’s recent weakness. SEC Form 4 filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Pool recently raised its quarterly dividend to $1.30 per share from $1.25 and authorized a $600 million share repurchase program, both shareholder-friendly moves that may help cushion sentiment. Should Investors Lock Arms With Buffett and Dive Into POOL Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary has been mixed, with some firms trimming price targets and maintaining hold-style ratings, suggesting limited near-term upside expectations. Analyst target revision report
• Negative Sentiment: No new earnings beat, guidance raise, or major demand catalyst was reported in the latest articles, so the stock’s weakness appears tied more to ongoing concerns about valuation and growth momentum than to a fresh positive fundamental development.

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.