Brevan Howard Capital Management LP Decreases Holdings in Pool Corporation $POOL

Brevan Howard Capital Management LP lessened its holdings in Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 35.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,218 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 7,924 shares during the quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP’s holdings in Pool were worth $4,409,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in POOL. Berkshire Hathaway Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Pool by 136.3% during the second quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc now owns 3,458,885 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,008,196,000 after purchasing an additional 1,994,885 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Pool by 16.2% during 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 buying an additional 357,643 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Pool by 11.1% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 699,628 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $203,928,000 after acquiring an additional 70,075 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of Pool by 35.3% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 616,041 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $179,564,000 after purchasing an additional 160,878 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Pool by 0.3% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 438,476 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $135,958,000 after acquiring an additional 1,337 shares during the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pool

In related news, CFO Melanie M. Hart sold 2,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 18,039 shares in the company, valued at $3,968,580. This represents a 13.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Romain Kenneth G. St acquired 5,560 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $218.67 per share, for a total transaction of $1,215,805.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 82,845 shares in the company, valued at $18,115,716.15. The trade was a 7.19% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 3.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Pool Stock Up 1.2%

POOL opened at $206.64 on Monday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $244.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $263.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 2.24. Pool Corporation has a one year low of $203.80 and a one year high of $345.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.25.

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

Pool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be issued a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 12th. Pool’s payout ratio is presently 46.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on POOL shares. Cfra upgraded Pool from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $304.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on Pool from $346.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Pool from $275.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Pool from $240.00 to $232.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Pool from $360.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $281.50.

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.