Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.03 EPS

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) announced its earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.03, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $260.13 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $251.80 million. Hayward had a net margin of 14.35% and a return on equity of 11.95%. The company’s revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.14 earnings per share.

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

• Third-quarter results exceeded the prior-year period, with net sales up 6% to $260 million, adjusted EBITDA up 9%, and adjusted diluted EPS up 29% to $0.18. North American sales rose 9%, including 2% volume growth.
• Hayward cited resilient aftermarket demand, which represents more than 85% of sales, along with continued share gains in automation, sanitization, controls, and lighting. North American Early Buy orders for the 2027 pool season are currently ahead of last year, with channel inventories described as balanced.
• Management raised its full-year 2026 outlook to approximately 5%-6% sales growth and adjusted diluted EPS of $0.86-$0.88, or 12%-14% growth. The company continues to target roughly $200 million in free cash flow and expects full-year gross margin near 48% despite inflation and tariffs.
• The new-construction market remains weak, with management not yet seeing a meaningful macro improvement, while Europe and rest-of-world operations face geopolitical and demand pressures. Inflation is expected to be mid- to slightly above mid-single digits in 2026, and fourth-quarter sales guidance of flat to up 3% reflects cautious assumptions about lower-margin Early Buy mix and potentially tighter distributor inventories.

Hayward Stock Up 2.9%

Shares of NYSE:HAYW traded up $0.45 during trading on Friday, hitting $16.02. 2,879,470 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,653,319. Hayward has a fifty-two week low of $11.24 and a fifty-two week high of $17.42. The stock has a market cap of $3.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $12.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $14.58.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hayward

In related news, SVP Susan M. Canning sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.70, for a total value of $40,950.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 164,411 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,923,608.70. This represents a 2.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.85, for a total value of $692,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 701,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,712,090.90. This trade represents a 6.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 157,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,163,890 over the last three months. 4.73% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HAYW has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Hayward in a research report on Tuesday, September 15th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Hayward from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Hayward in a report on Monday, July 20th. Zacks Research cut shares of Hayward from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Hayward from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $17.12.

About Hayward

Hayward Holdings, Inc designs, manufactures and markets equipment and technologies used in residential and commercial swimming pools. Its product portfolio includes pumps, filters, heaters, heat pumps, automatic pool cleaners, lighting, sanitization systems, water features and pool-control and automation solutions.

The company sells products under the Hayward brand and serves pool owners, builders, retailers, distributors and service professionals. Its equipment is used in both new pool construction and the replacement and renovation market, with an emphasis on energy efficiency, water quality and connected pool-management technologies.

Hayward traces its roots to 1925 and has developed into a global pool-equipment supplier.