Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Sets New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) hit a new 52-week low on Thursday . The company traded as low as $202.51 and last traded at $203.51, with a volume of 137273 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $205.77.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Cfra raised shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $304.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $246.00 price target on shares of Pool in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Pool in a research note on Monday, December 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of Pool from $360.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Pool from $240.00 to $232.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $281.50.

Pool Stock Down 2.0%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 2.24 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The company has a market cap of $7.37 billion, a PE ratio of 18.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.25. The business’s 50 day moving average is $241.25 and its 200-day moving average is $260.62.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.84 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $982.21 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $999.14 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.97 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.850-11.150 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Pool Corporation will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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 is Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.13%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Pool news, SVP Romain Kenneth G. St acquired 5,560 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average price 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 $18,115,716.15. The trade was a 7.19% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Melanie M. Hart sold 2,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $605,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 18,039 shares in the company, valued at $3,968,580. This trade represents a 13.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 3.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pool

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in POOL. Berkshire Hathaway Inc raised its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Pool by 3,831.9% in 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 buying an additional 1,951,070 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Pool in the 4th quarter valued at $97,612,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Pool by 16.2% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Finally, Southpoint Capital Advisors LP acquired a new stake in Pool during the 4th quarter worth $68,625,000. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pool Company 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.