Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Given New $206.00 Price Target at Bank of America

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) had its target price decreased by Bank of America from $226.00 to $206.00 in a report published on Monday,Benzinga reports. Bank of America currently has an underperform rating on the specialty retailer’s stock.

POOL has been the subject of several other reports. Zacks Research raised Pool from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Pool from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Pool from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Pool from $210.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Pool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $262.00.

Pool Price Performance

NASDAQ:POOL opened at $201.03 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $195.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $217.27. Pool has a 12 month low of $172.68 and a 12 month high of $345.00. The firm has a market cap of $7.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last released its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $1.14 billion for 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%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.32 earnings per share. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Pool will post 11.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback 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 reacquire up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 14th were issued a $1.30 dividend. This is a boost from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 14th. Pool’s payout ratio is 47.84%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director James D. Hope acquired 464 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $194.41 per share, with a total value of $90,206.24. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 3,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $715,039.98. This represents a 14.44% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director David G. Whalen bought 525 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $190.44 per share, with a total value of $99,981.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 8,936 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,701,771.84. The trade was a 6.24% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders purchased 21,989 shares of company stock worth $4,042,747. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pool

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake 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 period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Pool by 3,831.9% during 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 during the period. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in Pool by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,371,772 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $313,794,000 after acquiring an additional 23,736 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Pool by 21.6% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 837,658 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $191,614,000 after acquiring an additional 148,519 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Southpoint Capital Advisors LP grew its position in Pool by 66.7% in the first quarter. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP now owns 500,000 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $101,165,000 after acquiring an additional 200,000 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.