Virtu Financial LLC Purchases Shares of 2,843 Pool Corporation $POOL

Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 2,843 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $650,000.

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 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in Pool during the second quarter worth $33,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Pool by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 122 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in shares of Pool by 78.6% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 125 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in shares of Pool by 133.3% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 126 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pool Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:POOL opened at $195.61 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $7.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. Pool Corporation has a 52 week low of $172.68 and a 52 week high of $345.00. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $197.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $221.04.

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

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th were paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is an increase from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.84%.

Pool announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, April 29th that permits the company to buyback $600.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the specialty retailer to purchase up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on POOL shares. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Pool from $240.00 to $210.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Pool from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Bank of America decreased 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. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Pool from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of Pool from $346.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $261.38.

Pool News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: A recent MarketWatch-style article asks whether Pool Corporation is “underperforming the Nasdaq,” which may reinforce investor caution around the stock’s recent relative weakness, but it does not include a new catalyst or fundamental change. Is Pool Corporation Stock Underperforming the Nasdaq?
• Neutral Sentiment: Several other headlines about “reflecting pools” and unrelated swimming-pool content mention pools in a generic sense, but they are not related to Pool Corporation’s business and should have little to no impact on the stock. Article reference

Insider Activity at Pool

In related news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez acquired 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $175.95 per share, for a total transaction of $1,759,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 40,108 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,057,002.60. The trade was a 33.21% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director John E. Stokely bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $193.06 per share, for a total transaction of $193,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 16,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,133,363.80. The trade was a 6.57% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 21,989 shares of company stock valued at $4,042,747. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

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.