Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. Grows Stock Position in Pool Corporation $POOL

Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. raised its position in Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 197.5% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 170,676 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 113,306 shares during the period. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc.’s holdings in Pool were worth $34,533,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Pool during the 1st quarter valued at $400,000. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in Pool by 237.9% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 17,390 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $5,536,000 after buying an additional 12,244 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in Pool in the 1st quarter worth $639,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in Pool by 164.4% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 156 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Pool by 201.2% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,012 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $639,000 after buying an additional 1,344 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool Price Performance

POOL opened at $215.69 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $195.31 and a 200-day moving average of $219.51. The company has a market capitalization of $7.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.84, a PEG 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 quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 1.87.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.09. Pool had a net margin of 7.57% and a return on equity of 32.37%. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.32 earnings per share. The company’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 analysts expect that Pool Corporation will post 11.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 29th that allows the company to buyback $600.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the specialty retailer to reacquire up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The company 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. 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Pool’s payout ratio is currently 47.84%.

Insider Transactions at Pool

In other news, Director James D. Hope bought 464 shares of Pool stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $194.41 per share, with a total value of $90,206.24. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $715,039.98. This represents a 14.44% increase in their position. The purchase 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 dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was purchased 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have bought 21,989 shares of company stock worth $4,042,747. 3.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on POOL. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Pool from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Pool from $240.00 to $210.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings lowered Pool from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Pool from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Pool from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $261.38.

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.