Harber Asset Management LLC Takes Position in Pool Corporation $POOL

Harber Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 9,370 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,014,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Pool in the 2nd quarter valued at $866,576,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Pool by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,563,373 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $794,825,000 after purchasing an additional 357,643 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings 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 worth $457,955,000 after purchasing an additional 1,951,070 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley raised its position in shares of Pool by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,371,772 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $313,794,000 after buying an additional 23,736 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Pool by 21.6% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 837,658 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $191,614,000 after buying an additional 148,519 shares during the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on POOL shares. Robert W. Baird set a $260.00 target price on Pool in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $225.00 price target on shares of Pool in a report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Pool from $235.00 to $189.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Zacks Research raised Pool from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on Pool from $226.00 to $206.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Pool presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $235.67.

Key Stories Impacting Pool

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Stephens reaffirmed its “Overweight” rating on Pool Corporation and maintained a $225 price target, implying substantial upside from the current trading level. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Pool’s latest quarterly results modestly exceeded expectations: earnings per share were $5.38 versus the $5.33 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $1.82 billion and increased 2.2% year over year. Management’s fiscal 2026 EPS guidance remains $10.66–$10.96.
• Neutral Sentiment: The recent report about Nvidia paying $6 billion to license Poolside’s AI software concerns Poolside, not Pool Corporation, and has no apparent impact on POOL. Nvidia Pays $6 Billion to License Poolside AI Model-Development Software
• Neutral Sentiment: Other reports involving Poolin’s cryptocurrency-mining assets, swimming-pool products, and pool-cleaning robots are unrelated to Pool Corporation’s distribution business.
• Negative Sentiment: Although quarterly results were slightly better than expected, revenue was essentially in line with forecasts and the company’s shares remain below both their 50-day and 200-day moving averages, indicating continued technical pressure and investor caution around the pool-construction and renovation market.

Pool Stock Performance

NASDAQ POOL opened at $187.98 on Friday. Pool Corporation has a twelve month low of $172.68 and a twelve month high of $336.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 2.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. The stock has a market cap of $6.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.29, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.06. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $200.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $207.54.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $5.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.33 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.82 billion. Pool had a net margin of 7.40% and a return on equity of 32.74%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.17 earnings per share. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.660-10.960 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Pool Corporation will post 10.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 13th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 13th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Pool’s payout ratio is currently 47.84%.

Pool declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, April 29th that authorizes the company to buyback $600.00 million in 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 usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.