Cullen Investment Group LTD. Reduces Stake in Pool Corporation $POOL

Cullen Investment Group LTD. lessened its stake in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 24.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,359 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 3,391 shares during the quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD.’s holdings in Pool were worth $2,613,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Pool in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in Pool during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in Pool in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in Pool by 133.3% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 126 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Pool Stock Performance

Pool stock opened at $202.17 on Thursday. Pool Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $197.68 and a fifty-two week high of $345.00. 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 stock has a market cap of $7.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.25. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $237.74 and its 200-day moving average price is $257.91.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.99 by ($0.15). The company had revenue of $982.21 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $999.14 million. Pool had a return on equity of 31.49% and a net margin of 7.67%.The firm’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.97 earnings per share. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.850-11.150 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Pool Corporation will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 12th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.13%.

Insider Activity

In other Pool news, CFO Melanie M. Hart sold 2,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $3,968,580. This represents a 13.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez purchased 5,000 shares of Pool stock in a transaction on Friday, March 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $205.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,025,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 110,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,572,140. The trade was a 4.76% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Pool from $360.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Pool in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Pool from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $246.00 target price on Pool in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Pool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pool has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $281.50.

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.