Man Group plc Purchases New Holdings in Pool Corporation $POOL

Man Group plc acquired a new position in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 6,976 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,499,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Pool during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $866,576,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Pool by 3,831.9% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,001,987 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $457,955,000 after buying an additional 1,951,070 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in Pool in the second quarter valued at $148,216,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Pool in the fourth quarter valued at $97,612,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Pool by 16.2% during 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 acquiring an additional 357,643 shares during the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pool Stock Up 0.1%

POOL stock opened at $182.99 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $6.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.83, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.06. Pool Corporation has a 1-year low of $172.68 and a 1-year high of $336.15. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $198.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $202.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 2.67 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $5.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.33 by $0.05. Pool had a net margin of 7.40% and a return on equity of 32.74%. The company had revenue of $1.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.17 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.660-10.960 EPS. Research analysts predict that Pool Corporation will post 10.95 EPS for the current year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 13th were issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 13th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on shares of Pool in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Pool from $235.00 to $189.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of Pool from $280.00 to $227.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 24th. DA Davidson assumed coverage on Pool in a research note on Monday, August 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $210.00 price target for the company. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on Pool from $226.00 to $206.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 20th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pool presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $233.10.

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.