Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Decreases Stake in Pool Corporation $POOL

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP reduced its holdings in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 3.8% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 404,791 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 15,853 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Pool were worth $81,899,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Pool by 16.2% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,563,373 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $794,825,000 after purchasing an additional 357,643 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Pool by 3,831.9% in the fourth 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 buying an additional 1,951,070 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in shares of Pool by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,371,772 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $313,794,000 after acquiring an additional 23,736 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Pool by 21.6% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 837,658 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $191,614,000 after buying an additional 148,519 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Pool in the 4th quarter worth approximately $97,612,000. Institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:POOL opened at $190.68 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 2.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.54, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.05. Pool Corporation has a 1-year low of $172.68 and a 1-year high of $336.15. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $196.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $214.64.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $5.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.33 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.82 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 32.74% and a net margin of 7.40%.The firm’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.17 earnings per share. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.660-10.960 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Pool Corporation will post 10.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool announced that its board has approved a share 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 typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Pool Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 13th will be issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 13th. Pool’s payout ratio is presently 47.84%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director James D. Hope purchased 464 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $194.41 per share, for a total transaction of $90,206.24. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $715,039.98. This trade represents a 14.44% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director John E. Stokely purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $193.06 per share, for a total transaction of $193,060.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 16,230 shares in the company, valued at $3,133,363.80. This represents a 6.57% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders purchased 21,989 shares of company stock valued at $4,042,747 over the last ninety days. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

POOL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Oppenheimer cut their target price on Pool from $280.00 to $227.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $185.00 price objective on Pool in a report on Friday, July 24th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Pool from $235.00 to $189.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Stephens lowered their target price on Pool from $290.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Pool from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $235.67.

Pool Company 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.