Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) Shares Gap Up on Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Hayward Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HAYW) gapped up prior to trading on Friday after Bank of America upgraded the stock from an underperform rating to a buy rating. The stock had previously closed at $15.36, but opened at $15.88. Bank of America now has a $19.00 price target on the stock. Hayward shares last traded at $15.03, with a volume of 439,895 shares.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on HAYW. Zacks Research downgraded Hayward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Hayward from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $19.50 price target (up from $19.00) on shares of Hayward in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $19.25.

Insider Activity at Hayward

In other Hayward news, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 52,390 shares of Hayward stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.99, for a total transaction of $837,716.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 623,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,970,404.60. The trade was a 7.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 157,168 shares of company stock valued at $2,502,639 in the last three months. 5.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hayward

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Hayward by 10,452.9% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,794 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,777 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hayward by 80.2% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,058 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 916 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Hayward by 82.4% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,183 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 986 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in Hayward by 103.9% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,265 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in Hayward in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000.

Hayward Stock Down 3.3%

The company has a market capitalization of $3.23 billion, a PE ratio of 21.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 2.29 and a current ratio of 2.94. The company’s 50-day moving average is $16.16 and its 200 day moving average is $15.90.

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $349.38 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $332.84 million. Hayward had a net margin of 13.51% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The business’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.27 earnings per share. Hayward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.820-0.860 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Hayward Holdings, Inc. will post 0.6 EPS for the current year.

About Hayward

Hayward Holdings, Inc is a leading manufacturer and marketer of residential and commercial swimming pool equipment and related outdoor living products. The company designs, engineers and produces a comprehensive range of products that address water circulation, filtration, heating, sanitation, automation, lighting and cleaning needs for pools and spas. Hayward’s offerings include pumps, filters, heaters, salt and chemical sanitization systems, automation controls, lights, robotic cleaners and various accessories that serve both new pool construction and aftermarket renovation markets.

Hayward’s product portfolio is organized into several core categories.