LRT Capital Management LLC Makes New $1.19 Million Investment in Pool Corporation $POOL

LRT Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 5,194 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,188,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Pool in the 1st quarter valued at about $400,000. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Pool by 237.9% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 17,390 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $5,536,000 after buying an additional 12,244 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pool in the 1st quarter valued at about $639,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 period. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director James D. Hope acquired 464 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $194.41 per share, for a total transaction of $90,206.24. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,678 shares in the company, valued at $715,039.98. This trade represents a 14.44% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez acquired 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $175.95 per share, for a total transaction of $1,759,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 40,108 shares in the company, valued at $7,057,002.60. The trade was a 33.21% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have bought 21,989 shares of company stock valued at $4,042,747. 3.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus decreased 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. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Pool from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 20th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Pool from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Pool from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Pool from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $261.38.

More Pool News

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles about swimming pools, pool parties, and robotic pool cleaners highlight continued consumer interest in pool ownership and maintenance during the summer season, which could support demand for Pool Corporation’s products and distribution business. I Test Robotic Pool Cleaners for Work. This Is the One I Use in My Own Pool
• Neutral Sentiment: Other “pool” headlines are unrelated to Pool Corporation’s core business, including technology and news stories that use “pool” in a different context, so they are unlikely to be a direct driver of the stock. Pool’s new app turns your screenshots into something useful
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of a reflecting pool project and other public-pool stories also appears unrelated to the company and should have little direct impact on POOL shares. ‘Oh Wait a Minute’: Trump Declared $14 Million Reflecting Pool Project a Big Success — Less Than 24 Hours Later, Folks Noticed One Embarrassing Detail
• Negative Sentiment: No company-specific negative news was provided, and there is no direct indication of weakness in Pool Corporation’s fundamentals from these articles.

Pool Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:POOL opened at $195.00 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $7.11 billion, a PE ratio of 17.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.10. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $198.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $223.17. Pool Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $172.68 and a fifty-two week high of $345.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Pool had a net margin of 7.57% and a return on equity of 32.37%. Pool’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.32 EPS. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Pool Corporation will post 11.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, April 29th that authorizes the company to buyback $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to repurchase up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 14th were given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. This is a boost from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Pool’s payout ratio is 47.84%.

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.