Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) Given Hold Rating at Jefferies Financial Group

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW)‘s stock had its “hold” rating reiterated by stock analysts at Jefferies Financial Group in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $15.00 price objective on the stock, down from their prior price objective of $16.00. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target indicates a potential upside of 13.96% from the company’s current price.

HAYW has been the subject of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings raised Hayward from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Hayward from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Hayward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hayward currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $17.83.

Hayward Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of HAYW traded up $0.04 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $13.16. 424,468 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,935,262. Hayward has a fifty-two week low of $11.10 and a fifty-two week high of $17.73. The business has a 50-day moving average of $15.48 and a 200-day moving average of $15.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.94 and a quick ratio of 2.29.

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.29 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 business had revenue of $349.38 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $332.84 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.27 earnings per share. The business’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. On average, research analysts expect that Hayward will post 0.6 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 52,390 shares of Hayward stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.99, for a total transaction of $837,716.10. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 623,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,970,404.60. The trade was a 7.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Eifion Jones sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.57, for a total value of $218,550.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 316,100 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,605,577. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 172,168 shares of company stock worth $2,721,189 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 5.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HAYW. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its position in Hayward by 33.2% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 15,671 shares of the company’s stock worth $242,000 after purchasing an additional 3,903 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Hayward by 12.8% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 17,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $268,000 after buying an additional 1,968 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of Hayward during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Hayward by 9.8% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,518,264 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,357,000 after buying an additional 313,571 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its holdings in shares of Hayward by 75.3% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 71,516 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,105,000 after acquiring an additional 30,718 shares in the last quarter.

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.