Pools, Boats, and RV Stocks: Values or Traps?

• (0:30) - Value vs Traps: How To Find To Strong Value Stocks
• (4:30) - Tracey’s Top Stock Picks
• (28:00) - Episode Roundup: MBUU, WGO, POO, THO
•                 [email protected]

Description:

Welcome to Episode #421 of the Value Investor Podcast.

Every week, Tracey Ryniec, the editor of Zacks Value Investor portfolio, shares some of her top value investing tips and stock picks.

Has the consumer turned against big ticket discretionary items like boats, pools and RVs?

The stocks in this category have been hitting multi-year lows this year on fears that the consumer will pull back on spending. These companies have already seen falling earnings since the Federal Reserve raised interest rates in 2022. After all, these are expensive products which many consumers will borrow money to purchase.

But with the stocks selling off, are pools, RVs and boat companies deals?

Or is there more pain to come and they are traps?

How to Determine if a Stock is a Value or a Trap

Just because a company has a low price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio or other cheap fundamentals, that doesn’t mean it’s a true value.

Value investors should look at the earnings estimates to determine if it’s really a value. Are earnings expected to rise this year or next?

Are the earnings estimates being revised higher, instead of lower?

A true value stock will still have a good earnings outlook.

3 Pool, Boat and RV Stocks: Are They Values or Traps?

1. Malibu Boats, Inc. (MBUU)

Malibu Boats recently reported its fiscal first quarter 2026 results. It described the market environment as “challenging” but sales were up 13.5% in the quarter.

Malibu Boats manufactures recreational power boats. Shares of Malibu Boats are down 29% year-to-date and are near 5-year lows.

It trades with a forward P/E of 23.8. A P/E ratio under 15 is usually considered a value.

Tune in to the podcast to find out if Malibu Boats is a value or a trap.

2. Winnebago Industries, Inc. (WGO)

Winnebago manufactures RVs and boats. It owns Barletta, a maker of pontoon boats. Revenue in its fiscal fourth quarter 2025 was up 7.8% as it did “targeted” price increases on certain products.

Shares of Winnebago are down 23.5% year-to-date but are off recent lows following the earnings report. It is shareholder friendly and pays a dividend yielding 3.9%.

Winnebago has a P/E ratio of 15.3, making it attractive on a P/E basis. But P/E isn’t the only thing investors should be looking at.

Tune in to the podcast to find out if Winnebago is a value or a trap.

3. Pool Corp. (POOL)

Pool Corp. recently celebrated 30 years as a public company. Shares soared during the pandemic as everyone stayed home and wanted to put a pool in. But sales fell in 2023 and 2024 as the economy opened following the pandemic and the Federal Reserve raised interest rates.

In the third quarter of 2025, Pool Corp. achieved sales growth of 1%. However, net sales were flat in the first 9 months of 2025.

Shares of Pool Corp. are down 27.6% year-to-date and 35% over the prior 5-years, wiping out the big gains in 2021. POOL trades with a forward P/E of 22.8.

Tune into the podcast to find out if Pool Corp. is a value or a trap.

What Else Should You Know About Values Versus Traps?

Tune into this week’s podcast to find out. 

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research