Wedgewood Partners sold out its position in Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL), divesting 32,322 shares previously worth $10.02 million, according to a February 17, 2026, SEC filing. What happened According to the SEC filing dated February 17, 2026, Wedgewood Partners eliminated its entire position in Pool Corporation during the fourth quarter, selling all 32,322 shares. The quarter-end position value decreased by $10.02 million. What else to know Top holdings after the filing: NYSE: TSM: $56.12 million ...

Industry Overview - Consumer discretionary businesses are sensitive to economic cycles, with recent performance indicating a potential slowdown in demand as discretionary stocks returned 14.8% over the past six months, underperforming the S&P 500 by 4.6 percentage points [1] Companies to Avoid - **Pool (POOL)** - Market Cap: $9.25 billion - Trading at $249.98 per share, equivalent to 21.7x forward P/E [3][5] - **Lovesac (LOVE)** - Market Cap: $191.5 million - Trading at $13.11 per share, equivalent to 50.4x forward P/E [6][8] Company to Watch - **Royal Caribbean (RCL)** - Market Cap: $69.15 billion - Established in 1968, known for innovative cruise experiences [9] - Absence of organic revenue growth over the past two years suggests reliance on acquisitions for expansion [11] - Anticipated sales growth of 3.1% for the next year indicates shaky demand [11] - Poor free cash flow margin of 0.6% over the last two years limits investment flexibility [12] - Impressive 30% annual revenue growth over the last five years indicates market share gains [13] - Expected increase in free cash flow margin by 11.3 percentage points next year suggests more capital for investment or shareholder returns [13]

Core Insights - Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) is a prominent distributor in the swimming pool supplies and equipment sector, catering to both residential and commercial clients, and competes with companies like Leslie's and Hayward Holdings [1] Financial Performance - For Q3 2025, Pool Corp. reported earnings of $3.39 per share, slightly exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.38 per share, marking a year-over-year increase from $3.26 per share, resulting in a +0.30% earnings surprise [3] - The company generated $1.45 billion in revenue for the quarter, marginally surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.14%, and showing a slight increase from $1.43 billion in the same quarter last year [4] Stock Performance - Pool Corp.'s stock price recently increased by $2.72, reflecting a 0.91% rise, with a trading range between $290.23 and $303.05, and a market capitalization of approximately $11.2 billion [5] - Goldman Sachs has set a price target of $360 for Pool Corp., indicating a potential price increase of approximately 19.88% from its current price of $300.31 [2][6]

Economic Overview - The U.S. economy contracted by 0.3% in the first quarter of 2025, marking the first quarter of negative growth since Q1 2022 and missing analysts' expectations of 0.4% growth [3] - Consumer confidence fell by 7.9 points to 86 in April, reaching a five-year low, indicating a lack of investor confidence in the economy [6] Trade and Tariffs - Concerns are rising that President Trump's tariffs could negatively impact economic health, despite a temporary 90-day pause on tariffs that led to a 41.3% increase in imports for the quarter, while exports only grew by 1.8% [4][6] Consumer Behavior - Consumer spending has slowed as individuals are saving more in anticipation of tougher economic conditions, alongside a significant decline in federal expenditures contributing to sluggish GDP figures [5] Dividend-Paying Stocks - In light of economic uncertainty, investing in dividend-paying stocks is recommended as they tend to provide steady income and stability [2][7] - Atkore Inc. (ATKR) announced a dividend of $0.33 per share with a dividend yield of 2%, having increased its dividend once in the past five years with a payout ratio of 12% [9][8] - Enact Holdings, Inc. (ACT) declared a dividend of $0.21 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.07%, having increased its dividend six times in the past five years with a payout ratio of 16% [11][10] - Pool Corporation (POOL) announced a dividend of $1.25 per share with a dividend yield of 1.64%, having increased its dividend six times in the past five years and a payout ratio of 46% [13][12] - American Water Works Company, Inc. (AWK) declared a dividend of $0.83 per share with a dividend yield of 2.08%, having increased its dividend six times in the past five years and a payout ratio of 57% [15][14]

Financial Performance - Pool Corp. reported quarterly earnings of $1.32 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.42 per share, and down from $1.85 per share a year ago, representing an earnings surprise of -7.04% [1] - The company posted revenues of $1.07 billion for the quarter, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.03%, and down from $1.12 billion year-over-year [2] - Over the last four quarters, Pool Corp. has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times and topped consensus revenue estimates three times [2] Stock Performance - Pool Corp. shares have lost about 9.3% since the beginning of the year, compared to the S&P 500's decline of -8.6% [3] - The current Zacks Rank for Pool Corp. is 4 (Sell), indicating expected underperformance in the near future [6] Earnings Outlook - The current consensus EPS estimate for the coming quarter is $5.15 on revenues of $1.78 billion, and for the current fiscal year, it is $11.27 on revenues of $5.36 billion [7] - The estimate revisions trend for Pool Corp. is currently unfavorable, which may change following the recent earnings report [6] Industry Context - The Leisure and Recreation Products industry, to which Pool Corp. belongs, is currently in the bottom 27% of over 250 Zacks industries, indicating potential challenges ahead [8] - Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions, suggesting that industry outlook can significantly impact stock performance [5][8]