BNP Paribas Financial Markets Grows Position in Pool Corporation $POOL

BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 49.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 78,086 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 25,731 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in Pool were worth $17,862,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in POOL. Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its stake in Pool by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 122 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in Pool by 78.6% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 125 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new position in Pool during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in Pool by 348.4% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 139 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in shares of Pool in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Pool

In related news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez purchased 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $175.95 per share, with a total value of $1,759,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 40,108 shares in the company, valued at $7,057,002.60. The trade was a 33.21% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director David G. Whalen purchased 525 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $190.44 per share, with a total value of $99,981.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 8,936 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,701,771.84. The trade was a 6.24% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders bought 26,989 shares of company stock valued at $5,067,747. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

POOL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded Pool from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Pool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Bank of America lowered their target price on 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 Pool from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Pool from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $261.38.

Key Headlines Impacting Pool

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted Pool Corporation as a leader in pool distributors, which may reinforce the company’s long-term competitive positioning and brand strength. What Makes Pool Corporation (POOL) a Leader in Pool Distributors?
• Neutral Sentiment: An additional write-up repeated the same “leader in pool distributors” theme, but it appears to be a commentary piece rather than a new market-moving development. What Makes Pool Corporation (POOL) a Leader in Pool Distributors?
• Neutral Sentiment: The remaining headlines mentioning “pool” were unrelated to Pool Corporation, focusing on the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool and political commentary, so they should not materially affect POOL shares.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of POOL stock opened at $185.52 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $199.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $224.79. The stock has a market cap of $6.76 billion, a PE ratio of 17.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.10. Pool Corporation has a 1 year low of $172.68 and a 1 year 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 issued its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.82 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 32.37% and a net margin of 7.57%.Pool’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.32 earnings per share. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Pool Corporation will post 11.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 14th were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This is a boost from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 14th. Pool’s payout ratio is presently 47.84%.

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.