Chou Associates Management Inc. Makes New $2.29 Million Investment in Pool Corporation $POOL

Chou Associates Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 10,636 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,286,000. Pool makes up about 1.1% of Chou Associates Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Pool by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 270 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Wealthspire Advisors LLC lifted its position in Pool by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 1,051 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $240,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Pool by 1.5% during the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,384 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $685,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Pool by 4.8% during the second quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,163 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $339,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Pool by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,840 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $979,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Pool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Pool from $235.00 to $189.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Pool from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $185.00 target price on Pool in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Pool in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $235.67.

Pool Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of Pool stock opened at $187.98 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $200.52 and its 200 day moving average is $207.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.83 billion, a PE ratio of 17.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.06. Pool Corporation has a 1 year low of $172.68 and a 1 year high of $336.15. The company has a current ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $5.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.33 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. Pool had a net margin of 7.40% and a return on equity of 32.74%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.17 earnings per share. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.660-10.960 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Pool Corporation will post 10.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 13th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.84%.

Pool announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, April 29th that permits the company to buyback $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the specialty retailer to repurchase 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 stock is undervalued.

More Pool News

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Stephens reaffirmed its “Overweight” rating on Pool Corporation and maintained a $225 price target, implying substantial upside from the current trading level. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Pool’s latest quarterly results modestly exceeded expectations: earnings per share were $5.38 versus the $5.33 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $1.82 billion and increased 2.2% year over year. Management’s fiscal 2026 EPS guidance remains $10.66–$10.96.
• Neutral Sentiment: The recent report about Nvidia paying $6 billion to license Poolside’s AI software concerns Poolside, not Pool Corporation, and has no apparent impact on POOL. Nvidia Pays $6 Billion to License Poolside AI Model-Development Software
• Neutral Sentiment: Other reports involving Poolin’s cryptocurrency-mining assets, swimming-pool products, and pool-cleaning robots are unrelated to Pool Corporation’s distribution business.
• Negative Sentiment: Although quarterly results were slightly better than expected, revenue was essentially in line with forecasts and the company’s shares remain below both their 50-day and 200-day moving averages, indicating continued technical pressure and investor caution around the pool-construction and renovation market.

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.