COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
DNOW vs POOL
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. DNOW scored 56.8, POOL scored 60.8 — POOL leads.
Compare another set
Different reporting periods. DNOW's fundamentals are as of June 2026, but POOL's are as of March 2026 — a 3-month gap. Growth, margin and valuation figures below therefore describe different windows and aren't strictly like-for-like.
DNOW
DNOW Inc.
56.8
$15.68 · $2.8B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
4.0
POOL leads
POOL
Pool Corporation
60.8
$187.98 · $6.8B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- Fastest growthDNOW+69.8%
- Strongest balance sheetDNOW0.31
- Highest qualityPOOL78 / 100
- Largest discount to fair valueDNOW-21%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
DNOW
stronger →← stronger
POOL
28
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
78
92
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
42
70
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
69
DNOW is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
DNOW
POOL
$136mC
FCF
$313mC
+69.8%A
Rev
+1.8%C
0.31A-
D/E
1.35C
0.7xA
P/S
—
—
PEG
1.60C+
—
P/E
17.5xA-
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
DNOW
POOL
21% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
40% above
~9%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~14%/yr
-4%
1-yr DCF upside
-33%
+27%
5-yr DCF upside
-29%
+91%
10-yr DCF upside
-23%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
DNOW
Why this score
- Diluting shareholders
POOL
Why this score
- Buying back stock
- Durable high returns
The companies
DNOWDNOW Inc.
Why now
Industrial Distribution · market cap $2.8b. 9% off the 52-week high of $17.26. Revenue growing +70% — in hypergrowth territory. 4 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $18.75 (implying +20% upside).
Moat
Turnaround / out-of-favor name — GAAP-unprofitable for now, so the durability case is forward-looking: it rests on a recovery (margin normalization, a cyclical upturn or restructuring) or an un-monetized asset (IP / network effects / first-mover position) rather than on current reported results.
Risk
Currently unprofitable (margin -2.7%) — path to GAAP profitability is the core thesis risk. ROE -5% is below the long-run sustainable threshold of ~10% — capital efficiency would need to improve for the equity base to compound at the market rate.
POOLPool Corporation
Why now
Industrial Distribution · market cap $6.8b. Down 44% from 52-week high of $336.15 — deep drawdown territory. 11 sell-side analysts publish a mean 1-yr target of $220.36 (implying +17% upside).
Moat
ROE 36% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which.
Risk
Down 44% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where DNOW and POOL diverge
On the headline score the gap is 4.0 points in favor of POOL. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
- GrowthDNOW 92.5 · POOL 42.0DNOW +50.5
- QualityDNOW 28.3 · POOL 77.6POOL +49.3
- ValueDNOW 70.2 · POOL 68.9level
Pillars run 0–100 against sector peers, so a score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.