AXQ Capital LP Sells 2,765 Shares of Pool Corporation $POOL

AXQ Capital LP lowered its stake in Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 76.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 871 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 2,765 shares during the period. AXQ Capital LP’s holdings in Pool were worth $270,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Berkshire Hathaway Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Pool by 136.3% in the 2nd quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc now owns 3,458,885 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,008,196,000 after purchasing an additional 1,994,885 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Pool in the second quarter worth $113,617,000. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Pool by 1,301.7% during the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 194,880 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $56,804,000 after buying an additional 180,977 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Pool by 35.3% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 616,041 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $179,564,000 after acquiring an additional 160,878 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Pool by 1,201.2% in the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 90,211 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,295,000 after acquiring an additional 83,278 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Pool News

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.25 per share (annualized $5.00), implying ~2.3% yield and signaling management confidence in cash flow — supportive for income‑oriented and long‑term investors. Pool Corporation Declares Quarterly Cash Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Senior VP Romain Kenneth G. St purchased 5,560 shares (~$218.67 avg, ~$1.22M), increasing his stake ~7.2% — an insider vote of confidence that often supports near‑term sentiment. SEC filing: SVP Form 4
• Positive Sentiment: Several institutional investors increased or established positions (e.g., Pacer, T. Rowe Price, Invesco), indicating continuing institutional interest that can support liquidity and valuation. MarketBeat Institutional Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry research highlights long‑term growth in fiberglass pool demand (2026–2035), a structural tailwind for Pool’s distribution business, but this is a multi‑year story and not a near‑term revenue guarantee. Fiberglass Market Forecast
• Negative Sentiment: CFO Melanie M. Hart sold 2,750 shares at ~$220 (disclosed via SEC filing), reducing her holding ~13.2% — insider selling can be perceived negatively even if not large. SEC filing: CFO Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Recent quarterly results missed estimates (Q4 EPS $0.84 vs. $0.99 est; revenue slightly below consensus) and revenue was down year‑over‑year; analysts have trimmed price targets and some ratings, leaving a “Hold” consensus — these are near‑term headwinds that weigh on valuation. Earnings & Analyst Notes

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Melanie M. Hart sold 2,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $605,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 18,039 shares in the company, valued at $3,968,580. The trade was a 13.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Romain Kenneth G. St bought 5,560 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $218.67 per share, with a total value of $1,215,805.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 82,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,115,716.15. The trade was a 7.19% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 3.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Pool from $275.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Pool from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $246.00 target price on Pool in a research note on Friday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Pool from $360.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Cfra upgraded Pool from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $304.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $281.50.

Pool Stock Up 4.0%

Shares of NASDAQ POOL opened at $223.31 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.32 billion, a PE ratio of 20.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.22. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $248.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $272.31. Pool Corporation has a 12-month low of $210.67 and a 12-month high of $374.74.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by ($0.15). Pool had a return on equity of 31.49% and a net margin of 7.67%.The company had revenue of $982.21 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $999.14 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.97 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.850-11.150 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Pool Corporation will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be issued a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 12th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.13%.

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.