Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Downgraded to Sell Rating by Wall Street Zen

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued on Sunday.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on POOL. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Pool from $240.00 to $232.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Pool in a report on Monday, December 29th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Pool from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Pool from $275.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $246.00 target price on Pool in a report on Friday, February 20th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pool has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $281.50.

Pool Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of Pool stock opened at $198.74 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $235.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $256.12. Pool has a 12-month low of $197.13 and a 12-month high of $345.00.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Pool news, CFO Melanie M. Hart sold 2,750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $605,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 18,039 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,968,580. This trade represents a 13.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $205.00 per share, with a total value of $1,025,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 110,108 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,572,140. This trade represents a 4.76% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pool

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its position in Pool by 3,879.1% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 33,942 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $7,764,000 after purchasing an additional 33,089 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in Pool by 1,719.3% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 133,738 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,593,000 after purchasing an additional 126,387 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in Pool by 3,512.1% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,192 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $273,000 after purchasing an additional 1,159 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Pool by 27.5% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,333 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $762,000 after purchasing an additional 719 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kera Capital Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of Pool in the 4th quarter valued at about $254,000. Institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

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.