Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on HAYW. Bank of America raised shares of Hayward from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $19.50 target price (up from $19.00) on shares of Hayward in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Hayward from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $19.25.

Hayward Stock Down 3.3%

Hayward stock opened at $14.85 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $3.23 billion, a PE ratio of 21.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.94 and a quick ratio of 2.29. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $16.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.90. Hayward has a 1-year low of $11.10 and a 1-year high of $17.73.

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $349.38 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $332.84 million. Hayward had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 13.51%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.27 EPS. Hayward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.820-0.860 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Hayward will post 0.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 52,390 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.99, for a total transaction of $837,716.10. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 623,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,970,404.60. This trade represents a 7.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders have sold 157,168 shares of company stock worth $2,502,639 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 5.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hayward

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HAYW. Covestor Ltd increased its stake in Hayward by 10,452.9% in 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. boosted its stake 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 worth $32,000 after buying an additional 916 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hayward by 82.4% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,183 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 986 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of Hayward by 103.9% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 1,265 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Hayward in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000.

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.