POOL vs LESL Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
POOL (Pool Corporation) distributes pool products wholesale to professional pool contractors, builders, and retailers — a dominant B2B distributor — while LESL (Leslie's) sells pool supplies directly to pool owners through retail stores and e-commerce. Pool Corp operates further up the supply chain serving professionals; Leslie's serves the homeowner direct.
POOL vs LESL is B2B wholesale pool products distribution (the dominant middleman serving professionals) versus direct-to-consumer pool supply retail (selling directly to homeowners) — both tied to the U.S. in-ground pool installed base but with very different business models and margin structures.
POOL holds the edge across 2 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. POOL has delivered stronger 1-month price return (+1.35% vs -92.51% for LESL). On fundamentals, POOL is growing revenue faster (2.20%), while LESL maintains the higher operating margin (18.10%) — a classic growth-versus-profitability split.
Human Wall Street analysts' price targets, typically implying a ~12-month view — a separate signal from this site's own AI Prediction Signal further down the page, which is a 5-/30-day machine-learning forecast based on price history alone.
- Want the dominant B2B wholesale pool distribution company with a durable market position serving pool professionals and the long-term installed pool base growth
- Value Pool Corp's combination of recurring maintenance product demand and growth from new pool construction activity
- Are willing to pay a premium valuation for a dominant industry-position company with strong competitive moats from scale and supplier relationships
- Want direct-to-consumer pool supply exposure through the largest retail chain serving pool owners with stores, e-commerce, and water testing services
- Value Leslie's potential for margin improvement as the company optimizes its cost structure and grows its direct business
- See Leslie's valuation discount to Pool Corp as a turnaround opportunity if the company addresses its debt burden and competitive positioning
| Metric | POOL | LESL |
|---|---|---|
| AI scorei | 36.9 | 24.8 |
| AI ranki | #1464 | #5279 |
| Latest closei | $169.12 | $0.04 |
| 1M returni | +1.35% | -92.51% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | POOL | LESL |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $5.83K (-41.7%) started 2025-10-16 | $135.14 (-98.6%) started 2026-07-17 |
| 5Y ago | $4.02K (-59.8%) started 2021-10-18 | $135.14 (-98.6%) started 2026-07-17 |
| 10Y ago | $22.05K (+120.5%) started 2016-10-17 | $135.14 (-98.6%) started 2026-07-17 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | POOL | LESL |
|---|---|---|
| Market capi | $6.83B | $955.28K |
| Trailing P/Ei | 17.27 | N/A |
| Forward P/Ei | 15.91 | N/A |
| Price/Salesi | 2.12 | 0.00 |
| EV/Revenuei | 1.57 | 0.83 |
| Analyst targeti | $219.50 | N/A |
| Target upsidei | +16.71% | N/A |
| Metric | POOL | LESL |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growthi | 2.20% | -8.40% |
| Earnings growthi | 0.00% | 114.10% |
| EPS growthi | 0.00% | +114.10% |
| FCF margini | +3.95% | +3.06% |
| Operating margini | 15.14% | 18.10% |
| Profit margini | 7.41% | -21.24% |
| ROIC proxyi | 31.25% | N/A |
| Return on equityi | 31.25% | N/A |
| Dividend yieldi | 2.76% | 0.00% |
| Payout ratioi | 46.37% | 0.00% |
| Dividend growth streaki | No increase yet | N/A |
| Betai | 1.05 | 1.75 |
| Debt/equityi | 134.54 | N/A |
| Current ratioi | 2.67 | 1.35 |
| Quick ratioi | 0.86 | 0.31 |
Over the past year, POOL and LESL have moved weakly in the same direction (correlation of 0.36), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | POOL | LESL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | -41.72% | -98.65% |
| CAGRi | -41.77% | -100.00% | |
| Volatilityi | 35.46% | 251.77% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -1.47 | -5.28 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -1.90 | -5.98 | |
| Max drawdowni | 49.07% | 99.23% | |
| Current drawdowni | 44.12% | 98.65% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 28.98% | 72.80% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 31.11% | 76.25% | |
| Max daily dropi | 14.48% | 44.81% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 19.57% | 80.82% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | -61.60% | -98.65% |
| CAGRi | -17.44% | -100.00% | |
| Volatilityi | 34.88% | 251.77% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.51 | -5.28 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.70 | -5.98 | |
| Max drawdowni | 72.16% | 99.23% | |
| Current drawdowni | 69.45% | 98.65% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 40.34% | 72.80% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 42.79% | 76.25% | |
| Max daily dropi | 14.48% | 44.81% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 20.22% | 80.82% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +99.35% | -98.65% |
| CAGRi | +7.14% | -100.00% | |
| Volatilityi | 32.18% | 251.77% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.24 | -5.28 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.33 | -5.98 | |
| Max drawdowni | 72.16% | 99.23% | |
| Current drawdowni | 69.45% | 98.65% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 22.63% | 72.80% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 30.68% | 76.25% | |
| Max daily dropi | 16.79% | 44.81% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 20.22% | 80.82% |
| Category | POOL | LESL |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Pool Corporation | Leslie's, Inc. |
| Sector | Industrials | Consumer Discretionary - Pool Supplies Retail |
| Industry | Industrial Distribution | Specialty Retail |
| Core business | Pool Corporation is the world's largest wholesale distributor of swimming pool and related outdoor living products — selling pool chemicals, equipment, accessories, and building materials to approximately 120,000 pool professionals (service companies, builders, retailers) through approximately 440 sales centers across North America, Europe, and Australia. | Leslie's is the largest direct-to-consumer pool supplies company in the U.S., operating approximately 1,000 branded retail locations and e-commerce, selling pool chemicals, equipment, parts, and accessories directly to pool owners — along with water testing and pool maintenance services. |
| Investor focus | Investors track Pool Corp's comparable sales growth (volume and pricing), gross margin maintenance, new pool construction activity versus maintenance/remodel demand, and the long-term installed pool base growth driving recurring maintenance chemical and equipment sales. | Investors track Leslie's comparable store sales, chemical volume and pricing, e-commerce penetration, operating margin, and the company's ability to grow its direct-to-consumer model while managing competition from Amazon, Pool Corp's retail-facing channels, and big-box retailers. |
- Dominant market position — Pool Corp has approximately 35% market share in wholesale pool products distribution with unmatched national coverage and supplier relationships
- Recurring maintenance revenue — pool owners must buy chemicals and replace equipment regardless of economic conditions, providing resilient base demand beyond new pool construction cyclicality
- Business model benefits from the installed base of approximately 5.7 million U.S. in-ground pools that grows every year with new pool construction
- Direct-to-consumer model with no middleman allows Leslie's to sell at competitive prices while capturing full retail margin on pool chemicals and supplies
- Water testing services at store locations drive foot traffic and create personalized product recommendations — a service advantage over online-only competitors
- Large installed store base across the U.S. provides geographic coverage for the existing 5.7 million U.S. pool installed base
- New pool construction is discretionary and economically sensitive — Pool Corp's growth is higher in construction upswings and lower when housing and consumer spending slow
- Inflation in pool chemical costs (particularly chlorine, which saw dramatic price spikes) can affect volume if pool owners reduce chemical usage or switch to alternatives
- Pool Corp's high P/E multiple versus the S&P 500 reflects premium quality but creates elevated valuation risk during earnings slowdowns
- Leslie's went through significant PE ownership under Leonard Green before its 2020 IPO, leaving the company with elevated debt and interest expense burden
- Competition from Amazon, Walmart, and online pool supply retailers applies pricing pressure on commodity pool chemicals and equipment
- Pool owner do-it-yourself (DIY) chemical purchases are price-sensitive — aggressive pricing from competitors can attract volume away from Leslie's
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