Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) announced its earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.01, FiscalAI reports. 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 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 earnings per share. Hayward updated its FY 2026 guidance to 0.820-0.860 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Hayward’s conference call:

• Hayward beat expectations in Q4 and FY2025 with net sales up 7%, adjusted EBITDA up 8% for the year, record 48% gross margin, adjusted diluted EPS up 15% to $0.77, and reduced net leverage to 1.9x, driven by aftermarket strength and cash generation.
• 2026 guidance calls for approximately 4% net sales growth, adjusted diluted EPS of $0.82–$0.86 (6%–12% growth), and roughly $200M of free cash flow, with ~ $40M in CapEx to modernize U.S. operations.
• The company is scaling its OmniX ecosystem—now standard on new variable speed pumps and gas heaters—and launched new products (4HP pumps, TrackJet cleaner, ColorLogic lights) to pursue upgrades across an estimated 3.5M under‑automated U.S. pools, reinforcing its aftermarket-driven model (~85% of sales).
• Management increased investments in R&D (+6%), sales/customer initiatives, AI-enabled service tools, and Hayward hubs, and incurred higher variable compensation and one‑time legal costs in Q4, which compressed adjusted EBITDA margin but are presented as strategic, longer‑term growth levers.
• Tariff/supply‑chain actions reduced China exposure from ~10% to ~3%, but reshoring adds incremental cost (~$5–6M, ~1.5% of cost of sales); management says this is covered in guidance but it remains a margin risk if trade policy or costs shift further.

Hayward Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of Hayward stock traded up $0.18 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $15.96. The stock had a trading volume of 1,962,763 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,849,171. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $16.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $15.92. The firm has a market cap of $3.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 2.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Hayward has a 12-month low of $11.10 and a 12-month high of $17.73.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “buy” rating and issued a $19.50 price objective (up from $19.00) on shares of Hayward in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hayward in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Hayward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Hayward has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $18.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 60,571 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.13, for a total value of $977,010.23. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 623,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,057,700.20. This represents a 8.85% 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 sold 165,350 shares of company stock valued at $2,655,570 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 5.06% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hayward

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Hayward by 149.2% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 2,814 shares during the period. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hayward in the 4th quarter valued at $99,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Hayward by 756.3% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,713 shares of the company’s stock worth $104,000 after acquiring an additional 5,929 shares in the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Hayward during the 2nd quarter worth about $151,000. Finally, Polymer Capital Management HK LTD purchased a new position in Hayward during the 3rd quarter valued at about $179,000.

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.