The Goldman Sachs Group Cuts Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) Price Target to $14.00

Key Points

• Goldman Sachs cut Hayward’s price target from $17 to $14 while maintaining a “neutral” rating, implying roughly 22.5% upside from the stock’s $11.43 price.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: the consensus rating is “Hold,” with two Buy ratings and seven Hold ratings, and an average price target of $16.62.
• Hayward exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, but insiders—including the CEO—sold shares totaling approximately $2.1 million over the last quarter.

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW - Get Free Report) had its price target reduced by research analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $17.00 to $14.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group's target price would suggest a potential upside of 22.54% from the company's current price.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Hayward from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Hayward in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Hayward in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Finally, KeyCorp reissued a "sector weight" rating on shares of Hayward in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $16.62.

Hayward Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HAYW traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $11.43. The company had a trading volume of 909,626 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,541,142. Hayward has a twelve month low of $11.28 and a twelve month high of $17.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 3.33 and a quick ratio of 2.49. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $13.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.39. The stock has a market cap of $2.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.18.

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.02. Hayward had a return on equity of 11.61% and a net margin of 13.83%.The company had revenue of $318.38 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $303.35 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.24 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Hayward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.840-0.870 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Hayward will post 0.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Hayward

In related news, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 50,000 shares of Hayward stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.85, for a total transaction of $692,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 701,234 shares in the company, valued at $9,712,090.90. This trade represents a 6.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Susan Canning sold 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.84, for a total value of $44,940.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 167,911 shares in the company, valued at $2,155,977.24. This trade represents a 2.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 153,500 shares of company stock worth $2,122,940 over the last quarter. 4.73% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hayward

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Diversified Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hayward in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,024,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Hayward by 95.3% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,134 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 1,529 shares during the last quarter. Steph & Co. raised its holdings in Hayward by 29.2% in the third quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 8,644 shares of the company's stock valued at $106,000 after acquiring an additional 1,954 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new position in Hayward during the 2nd quarter valued at $4,693,000. Finally, Nykredit A S acquired a new position in Hayward during the 2nd quarter worth $42,000.

Hayward Company Profile

Hayward Holdings, Inc designs, manufactures and markets equipment and technologies used in residential and commercial swimming pools and spas. Its products are intended to support water circulation, filtration, heating, cleaning, sanitation and overall pool management.

The company's product portfolio includes pumps, filters, heaters, heat pumps, salt-chlorination systems, automatic cleaners, lighting, valves, controls and connected pool-management technologies. Hayward sells products under the Hayward brand and through related product lines, serving pool builders, distributors, service professionals and homeowners.

Hayward serves customers in North America and international markets.

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