Bernzott Capital Advisors Makes New Investment in Pool Corporation $POOL

Bernzott Capital Advisors bought a new stake in Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 3,001 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $607,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of POOL. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Pool by 3,831.9% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,001,987 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $457,955,000 after purchasing an additional 1,951,070 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Pool in the 4th quarter worth about $97,612,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake 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 during the period. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP acquired a new stake in shares of Pool in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $68,625,000. Finally, Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its stake in shares of Pool by 254.6% in the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 339,716 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $77,710,000 after purchasing an additional 243,907 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Pool

In other Pool news, Director David G. Whalen purchased 525 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $190.44 per share, for a total transaction of $99,981.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,936 shares in the company, valued at $1,701,771.84. The trade was a 6.24% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez acquired 10,000 shares of Pool stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director owned 40,108 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,057,002.60. This represents a 33.21% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders bought 21,989 shares of company stock valued at $4,042,747 in the last three months. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Pool News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Pool Corporation announced it will report second-quarter 2026 earnings before the market opens on July 23 and host a conference call at 10:00 a.m.; this is a standard scheduling update, but it may remind investors that a key catalyst is approaching. Pool Corporation Announces Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Release Date And Conference Call
• Neutral Sentiment: A Zacks article compared YETI vs. POOL as value stocks, which may have drawn some investor attention to Pool Corporation, but it does not indicate a fundamental change in the business. YETI or POOL: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on POOL. Zacks Research upgraded Pool from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Pool from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Pool from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen raised Pool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Pool from $210.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Pool currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $264.50.

Pool Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:POOL opened at $207.97 on Friday. Pool Corporation has a 12 month low of $172.68 and a 12 month high of $345.00. The stock has a market cap of $7.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.13, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.05. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $193.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $218.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 last year, the company posted $1.32 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Pool Corporation will post 11.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, April 29th that authorizes the company to repurchase $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to reacquire up to 7.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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 issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 14th. This is an increase from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.84%.

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.