Hayward Holdings, Inc. $HAYW Shares Sold by William Blair Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• William Blair Investment Management cut its Hayward stake by 9.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 188,497 shares and leaving it with 1.82 million shares valued at about $28.2 million.
• Hayward reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $0.13 versus $0.11 expected and revenue of $255.22 million versus $239.13 million forecast, while revenue rose 11.5% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: the stock has a consensus Hold rating with an average price target of $17.50, even as some firms recently trimmed price targets or downgraded the shares.

William Blair Investment Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Hayward Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HAYW - Free Report) by 9.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,822,243 shares of the company's stock after selling 188,497 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned about 0.84% of Hayward worth $28,154,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HAYW. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in Hayward by 36.2% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 126,506 shares of the company's stock worth $1,760,000 after acquiring an additional 33,614 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hayward by 6.8% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 486,132 shares of the company's stock worth $6,767,000 after buying an additional 30,763 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hayward by 8.2% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 38,064 shares of the company's stock worth $530,000 after buying an additional 2,885 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Hayward by 5.1% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,061,859 shares of the company's stock worth $42,254,000 after buying an additional 149,155 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hayward by 149.2% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,700 shares of the company's stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 2,814 shares in the last quarter.

Hayward Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of HAYW opened at $13.86 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 3.26, a quick ratio of 2.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.14. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $14.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.40. Hayward Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $12.93 and a 12-month high of $17.73.

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $255.22 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $239.13 million. Hayward had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 11.45%. Hayward's revenue was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.10 earnings per share. Hayward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.840-0.870 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Hayward Holdings, Inc. will post 0.86 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HAYW has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Hayward from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 20th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Hayward from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Hayward from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $15.00 price objective (down from $16.00) on shares of Hayward in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $19.50 price objective (up from $19.00) on shares of Hayward in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $17.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hayward news, CFO Eifion Jones sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.57, for a total transaction of $218,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 316,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,605,577. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Susan M. Canning bought 2,242 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $12.76 per share, with a total value of $28,607.92. Following the purchase, the senior vice president owned 103,837 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,324,960.12. This trade represents a 2.21% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 119,778 shares of company stock valued at $1,745,689 over the last 90 days. 4.73% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hayward 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.

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