Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.01 EPS

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.01, FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $349.38 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $332.84 million. Hayward had a net margin of 12.54% and a return on equity of 11.24%. The company’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.27 EPS. 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 4.1%

Shares of HAYW traded up $0.62 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $15.61. 1,451,689 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,776,574. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $16.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.92. The stock has a market cap of $3.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 3.18 and a quick ratio of 2.31. Hayward has a 12 month low of $11.10 and a 12 month high of $17.73.

Insider Activity at Hayward

In other news, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 60,571 shares of Hayward stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.13, for a total transaction of $977,010.23. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 623,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,057,700.20. The trade was a 8.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders have sold 165,350 shares of company stock worth $2,655,570 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 5.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hayward

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its position in shares of Hayward by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 13,903 shares of the company’s stock worth $215,000 after acquiring an additional 1,035 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in Hayward by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 42,206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $652,000 after purchasing an additional 1,889 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Hayward by 12.8% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 17,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 1,968 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL lifted its position in shares of Hayward by 9.0% during the third quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 28,830 shares of the company’s stock valued at $436,000 after buying an additional 2,381 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hayward by 149.2% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 2,814 shares in the last quarter.

Hayward News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Hayward this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings and revenue beat consensus — Hayward reported roughly $0.29 EPS (beats ~$0.28 est.) and revenue of about $349.4M (above ~$332.8M), with revenue up ~6.8% year-over-year; this underpins the immediate bullish move. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Raised FY?2026 guidance — management set EPS guidance of $0.82–$0.86 (above the prior consensus ~$0.80) and revenue guidance near $1.2B, signaling confidence in demand and supporting forward valuation. View Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support lifted — Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “buy” and raised its price target to $19.50 (up from $19.00), implying material upside versus the current share level and adding third?party validation to the beats and guidance. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary and detail — the earnings call transcript and slide deck provide additional color on demand drivers and margin dynamics; useful for investors assessing guidance credibility and margin sustainability. Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/press coverage — multiple outlets (Investing.com, Seeking Alpha) highlight the beat and aftermarket strength questions; these pieces consolidate sentiment but don’t add new fundamental information. Article Title

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.