Stifel Nicolaus Increases Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Price Target to $240.00

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) had its target price boosted by equities research analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $232.00 to $240.00 in a research note issued on Friday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage presently has a “hold” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective would indicate a potential upside of 3.20% from the stock’s current price.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, April 19th. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on Pool from $346.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Zacks Research downgraded Pool from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Robert W. Baird dropped 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Pool in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $274.56.

Pool Stock Performance

NASDAQ:POOL opened at $232.55 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $216.54 and a 200 day moving average of $242.32. The company has a market capitalization of $8.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.39, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.26. Pool has a 1-year low of $195.49 and a 1-year high of $345.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 0.59.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 32.37% and a net margin of 7.57%.Pool’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.32 EPS. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Pool will post 11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pool

In related news, 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $3,968,580. This trade represents a 13.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez bought 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $205.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,025,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 110,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pool

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Pool by 15.3% during the first quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,655 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $740,000 after buying an additional 484 shares during the period. Stevens Capital Partners purchased a new position in shares of Pool during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,537,000. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Pool by 5.5% during the first quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 152,624 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,880,000 after buying an additional 7,917 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A. increased its stake in shares of Pool by 18.4% during the first quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 2,043 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $413,000 after buying an additional 317 shares during the period. Finally, Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its stake in shares of Pool by 197.5% during the first quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 170,676 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $34,533,000 after buying an additional 113,306 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Pool News

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and guidance reaffirmed — POOL reported Q1 EPS above expectations, raised or reaffirmed its FY‑2026 EPS range of $10.87–$11.17 and highlighted 6% sales growth and operating income expansion; investors are rewarding the better‑than‑expected EPS and the company’s confident outlook. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price target bump — Stifel raised its POOL price target to $240 (still a Hold), providing some incremental analyst support to the shares. Read more via Benzinga. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Earnings call tone constructive — Management emphasized resilient maintenance demand, gradual recovery in discretionary categories, contribution from greenfield locations and confidence in driving operating‑expense leverage as new centers mature. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Consumer interest signals — coverage of pool‑cleaning robots and related pool‑product shopping (wired articles) could support seasonal demand for pool accessories and maintenance products, but impact on wholesale distributor POOL is indirect and timing‑dependent. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst stance mixed — some firms maintain Hold/Neutral ratings citing balanced risk/reward amid margin pressures and macro uncertainty; that tempers near‑term upside despite the beat. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Inventory build and margin pressure — inventory rose ~14% year‑over‑year and gross margin fell ~20 bps (to 29.0%) due to seasonal mix and early buys; higher inventories may pressure working capital and margins into the season. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Higher leverage from buybacks — total debt increased materially (about $222.6M) largely to fund ~$349M of open‑market share repurchases; higher interest expense and leverage are risks if discretionary demand weakens. Read More.

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.