Pool Corporation $POOL Shares Sold by Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. cut its stake in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 93.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 936 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 13,406 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Pool were worth $214,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of POOL. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new position in Pool during the first quarter worth $400,000. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in Pool by 237.9% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 17,390 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $5,536,000 after purchasing an additional 12,244 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in Pool during the first quarter worth $639,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Pool by 164.4% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 156 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Pool by 201.2% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,012 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $639,000 after purchasing an additional 1,344 shares during the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on POOL. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Pool from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Pool from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Pool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Pool from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Pool from $240.00 to $210.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 11th. 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $261.38.

Pool Price Performance

POOL stock opened at $185.52 on Friday. Pool Corporation has a 52-week low of $172.68 and a 52-week high of $345.00. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $199.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $224.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.10.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.32 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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 expect 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 issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 2.8%. Pool’s payout ratio is 47.84%.

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

Insider Transactions at Pool

In other news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez bought 10,000 shares of Pool stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $175.95 per share, for a total transaction of $1,759,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 40,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,057,002.60. The trade was a 33.21% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director James D. Hope bought 464 shares of Pool stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $194.41 per share, for a total transaction of $90,206.24. Following the acquisition, the director directly 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 SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have bought a total of 26,989 shares of company stock worth $5,067,747 over the last ninety days. 3.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Pool News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted Pool Corporation as a leader in pool distributors, which may reinforce the company’s long-term competitive positioning and brand strength. What Makes Pool Corporation (POOL) a Leader in Pool Distributors?
• Neutral Sentiment: An additional write-up repeated the same “leader in pool distributors” theme, but it appears to be a commentary piece rather than a new market-moving development. What Makes Pool Corporation (POOL) a Leader in Pool Distributors?
• Neutral Sentiment: The remaining headlines mentioning “pool” were unrelated to Pool Corporation, focusing on the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool and political commentary, so they should not materially affect POOL shares.

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.