Stifel Nicolaus Reiterates Buy Rating for Hayward (NYSE:HAYW)

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reissued by investment analysts at Stifel Nicolaus in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $19.50 price objective on the stock, up from their prior price objective of $19.00. Stifel Nicolaus’ price target would suggest a potential upside of 21.84% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Zacks Research cut Hayward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hayward in a report on Monday, December 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $19.50.

Hayward Price Performance

HAYW stock opened at $16.00 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.54, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.13. Hayward has a 52-week low of $11.10 and a 52-week high of $17.73. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $16.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 2.31 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 net margin of 13.51% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The company had revenue of $349.38 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $332.84 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.27 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Hayward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.820-0.860 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Hayward will post 0.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 52,389 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.05, for a total transaction of $840,843.45. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 623,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,007,817. The trade was a 7.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 165,350 shares of company stock valued at $2,655,570 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 5.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hayward

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HAYW. Covestor Ltd raised its position in shares of Hayward by 10,452.9% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,794 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 1,777 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Hayward by 80.2% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,058 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 916 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Hayward by 82.4% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,183 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 986 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its position in shares of Hayward by 103.9% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 1,265 shares during the period. Finally, Steph & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Hayward during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000.

About Hayward

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.