Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) Shares Gap Up on Analyst Upgrade
by Doug Wharley · The Cerbat GemHayward Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HAYW – Get Free Report)’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 changing hands.
Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of Hayward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Stifel Nicolaus restated 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 upgraded Hayward from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $19.25.
View Our Latest Report on HAYW
Insider Buying and Selling at Hayward
In other Hayward news, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 52,390 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.99, for a total value of $837,716.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 623,540 shares in the company, valued at $9,970,404.60. This trade represents a 7.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In the last three months, insiders sold 157,168 shares of company stock valued at $2,502,639. Company insiders own 5.06% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hayward
A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HAYW. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in shares of Hayward by 36.2% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 126,506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,760,000 after purchasing an additional 33,614 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in Hayward by 6.8% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 486,132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,767,000 after purchasing an additional 30,763 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC increased its stake in Hayward by 8.2% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 38,064 shares of the company’s stock valued at $530,000 after buying an additional 2,885 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its position in Hayward by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 31,148 shares of the company’s stock worth $430,000 after buying an additional 1,613 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amalgamated Bank lifted its position in Hayward by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 43,996 shares of the company’s stock worth $607,000 after buying an additional 724 shares in the last quarter.
Hayward Stock Down 1.7%
The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $16.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $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. The company has a market cap of $3.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.13.
Hayward (NYSE:HAYW – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $349.38 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $332.84 million. Hayward had a net margin of 13.51% and a return on equity of 11.27%. Hayward’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.27 earnings per share. Hayward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.820-0.860 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect 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.