Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Cuts Stock Position in Pool Corporation $POOL

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. decreased its position in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 17.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,794 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 4,240 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Pool were worth $4,528,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Berkshire Hathaway Inc grew its position in Pool by 136.3% in the 2nd quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc now owns 3,458,885 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,008,196,000 after acquiring an additional 1,994,885 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Pool in the second quarter valued at approximately $113,617,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Pool by 16.2% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,563,373 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $794,825,000 after purchasing an additional 357,643 shares in the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Pool by 1,301.7% in the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 194,880 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $56,804,000 after purchasing an additional 180,977 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Pool by 11.1% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 699,628 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $203,928,000 after buying an additional 70,075 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on POOL. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Pool from $275.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 20th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target 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. Wall Street Zen lowered Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Pool in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Cfra upgraded Pool from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $304.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Pool has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $281.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pool

In other Pool news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez purchased 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $205.00 per share, for a total transaction 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 represents a 4.76% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Melanie M. Hart sold 2,750 shares of Pool stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $605,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 18,039 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,968,580. This trade represents a 13.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 3.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Pool Price Performance

Shares of Pool stock opened at $198.74 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. Pool Corporation has a 52-week low of $197.13 and a 52-week high of $345.00. The company has a market capitalization of $7.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a 50 day moving average of $235.03 and a 200 day moving average of $255.68.

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

Pool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 12th were issued a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 12th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is 46.13%.

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.