Amiral Gestion Makes New Investment in Pool Corporation $POOL

Amiral Gestion bought a new position in Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 37,189 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $7,524,000. Pool makes up about 4.2% of Amiral Gestion’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest holding.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of POOL. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new stake in Pool during the second quarter valued at $30,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in Pool in the second quarter valued at about $33,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its position in Pool by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 122 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in shares of Pool by 78.6% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 125 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of Pool by 133.3% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 126 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Pool

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: No relevant Pool Corporation news was included in the feed, so there is no direct evidence of a new operational, financial, or strategic development affecting POOL shares.
• Neutral Sentiment: Most of the articles reference a “reflecting pool” in Washington, D.C., which is unrelated to Pool Corporation’s business and should not be viewed as a fundamental driver for the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: POOL had been trading below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages before this news, which suggests the stock was already under pressure; however, these articles do not provide a new reason for that weakness.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on POOL shares. Weiss Ratings cut Pool from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Pool from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Pool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Pool from $240.00 to $210.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Pool from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Pool has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $261.38.

Pool Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of POOL stock opened at $194.84 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $196.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $220.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 1.87. Pool Corporation has a twelve month low of $172.68 and a twelve month high of $345.00. The company has a market capitalization of $7.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.92, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.10.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 32.37% and a net margin of 7.57%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.32 EPS. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Pool Corporation will post 11.08 EPS for the current year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 14th were paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 14th. This is a boost from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.84%.

Pool announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, April 29th that authorizes the company to repurchase $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to buy up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other Pool news, Director John E. Stokely purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $193.06 per share, with a total value of $193,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 16,230 shares in the company, valued at $3,133,363.80. This trade represents a 6.57% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez bought 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $175.95 per share, with a total value of $1,759,500.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 40,108 shares in the company, valued at $7,057,002.60. This trade represents a 33.21% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have bought 21,989 shares of company stock worth $4,042,747. Insiders own 3.00% 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.