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

Hayward Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HAYW)’s share price gapped up before the market opened 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.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Zacks Research lowered Hayward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Hayward from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $19.25.

Insider Transactions at Hayward

In other Hayward news, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 52,389 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.73, for a total transaction of $824,078.97. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 748,540 shares in the company, valued at $11,774,534.20. This represents a 6.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders sold a total of 157,168 shares of company stock worth $2,502,639 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 5.06% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hayward

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Hayward by 35.4% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 956,373 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,460,000 after buying an additional 250,214 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in Hayward in the second quarter valued at approximately $330,000. PineStone Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hayward by 14.2% during the third quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 595,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,999,000 after purchasing an additional 73,900 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in shares of Hayward by 23.5% during the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 441,107 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,670,000 after purchasing an additional 84,067 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hayward by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 6,650,091 shares of the company’s stock worth $100,549,000 after purchasing an additional 211,075 shares during the last quarter.

Hayward Trading Down 1.7%

The firm has a market cap of $3.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.13. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $16.18 and a 200-day moving average of $15.91. 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 posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.01. Hayward had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 13.51%.The company had revenue of $349.38 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $332.84 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.27 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Hayward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.820-0.860 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Hayward Holdings, Inc. will post 0.6 earnings per share for the current year.

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.