William Blair Investment Management LLC Sells 31,080 Shares of Pool Corporation $POOL

William Blair Investment Management LLC reduced its position in Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 555,230 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 31,080 shares during the quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Pool were worth $172,160,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new stake in Pool in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Pool during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in Pool in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in Pool in the second quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of POOL opened at $227.18 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 2.24. The company has a market cap of $8.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.96, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.22. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $248.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $271.47. Pool Corporation has a 52-week low of $210.67 and a 52-week high of $374.74.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by ($0.15). Pool had a net margin of 7.67% and a return on equity of 31.49%. The business had revenue of $982.21 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $999.14 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.97 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.850-11.150 EPS. Analysts predict that Pool Corporation will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be paid a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Pool’s payout ratio is currently 46.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Melanie M. Hart sold 2,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $605,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 18,039 shares in the company, valued at $3,968,580. The trade was a 13.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Romain Kenneth G. St acquired 5,560 shares of Pool stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $218.67 per share, for a total transaction of $1,215,805.20. Following the acquisition, the senior vice president owned 82,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,115,716.15. This represents a 7.19% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

POOL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Cfra upgraded Pool from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $304.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Pool from $275.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Pool from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $246.00 price objective on Pool in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Pool in a report on Monday, December 29th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Pool has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $281.50.

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.