Hayward’s (HAYW) Hold Rating Reaffirmed at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group reiterated their hold rating on shares of Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $15.00 price objective on the stock, down from their prior price objective of $16.00.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on HAYW. Bank of America raised Hayward from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, March 6th. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $19.50 price target (up from $19.00) on shares of Hayward in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Zacks Research upgraded Hayward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Hayward from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $17.83.

Hayward Trading Up 1.9%

Hayward stock opened at $13.37 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $2.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.13. Hayward has a 1 year low of $11.10 and a 1 year high of $17.73. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $15.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $15.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 2.29 and a current ratio of 2.94.

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $349.38 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $332.84 million. Hayward had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 13.51%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.27 EPS. Hayward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.820-0.860 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Hayward will post 0.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Eifion Jones sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.57, for a total value of $218,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 316,100 shares in the company, valued at $4,605,577. This represents a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 52,389 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.73, for a total value of $824,078.97. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 748,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,774,534.20. This trade represents a 6.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 172,168 shares of company stock valued at $2,721,189 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 5.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hayward

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Hayward by 29.0% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 11,683,580 shares of the company’s stock valued at $176,656,000 after acquiring an additional 2,627,348 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Hayward by 327,101.9% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,565,263 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,633,000 after purchasing an additional 2,564,479 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its holdings in shares of Hayward by 17,180.8% during the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,576,737 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,811,000 after purchasing an additional 2,561,826 shares during the period. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hayward during the third quarter worth approximately $37,846,000. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Hayward during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,402,000.

Hayward Company Profile

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.