Pool Corporation $POOL Shares Bought by Deprince Race & Zollo Inc.

Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 197.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 170,676 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 113,306 shares during the quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. owned about 0.47% of Pool worth $34,533,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its position in Pool by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 122 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in Pool by 78.6% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 125 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in Pool in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Covestor Ltd increased its stake in shares of Pool by 348.4% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 139 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in shares of Pool during the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pool

In other Pool news, Director James D. Hope bought 464 shares of Pool stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $194.41 per share, for a total transaction of $90,206.24. Following the acquisition, the director owned 3,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $715,039.98. The trade was a 14.44% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez purchased 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $175.95 per share, with a total value of $1,759,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 40,108 shares in the company, valued at $7,057,002.60. This trade represents a 33.21% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders purchased 21,989 shares of company stock worth $4,042,747 over the last three months. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Pool Stock Performance

NASDAQ POOL opened at $215.69 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.05. Pool Corporation has a 1-year low of $172.68 and a 1-year high of $345.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $195.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $219.51.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.32 EPS. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Pool Corporation will post 11.08 EPS for the current year.

Pool announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, April 29th that authorizes the company to repurchase $600.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to buy up to 7.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 14th were paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This is an increase from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 14th. Pool’s payout ratio is presently 47.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Pool from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target 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. Bank of America cut 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Pool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Pool from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Pool has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $261.38.

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.