Hudson Bay Capital Management LP Reduces Position in Hayward Holdings, Inc. $HAYW

Key Points

• Hudson Bay Capital Management cut its Hayward stake by 25.9% in Q3, selling 226,631 shares and now holds 649,715 shares (about 0.30% of the company) worth roughly $9.82 million.
• Insiders have been net sellers recently — the CFO and CEO sold 15,000 and 52,390 shares respectively, and insiders disposed of 172,168 shares worth $2.72 million in the past three months (insiders own 5.06%).
• Hayward beat Q results (EPS $0.29 vs. $0.28 expected; revenue $349.4M vs. $332.8M) and has FY2026 EPS guidance of 0.820–0.860, while analysts have largely upgraded the stock to an average rating of "Buy" with a $19.25 target.

Hudson Bay Capital Management LP lessened its holdings in shares of Hayward Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HAYW - Free Report) by 25.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 649,715 shares of the company's stock after selling 226,631 shares during the quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP owned about 0.30% of Hayward worth $9,824,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hayward during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,846,000. Verition Fund Management LLC boosted its holdings in Hayward by 60.8% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 351,706 shares of the company's stock worth $5,318,000 after buying an additional 132,981 shares during the period. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new position in Hayward in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $4,123,000. Polymer Capital Management HK LTD bought a new stake in Hayward during the 3rd quarter valued at $179,000. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd bought a new stake in Hayward during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,011,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HAYW has been the topic of several recent research reports. Zacks Research upgraded Hayward from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $19.50 price objective (up from $19.00) on shares of Hayward in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Weiss Ratings raised Hayward from a "hold (c)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Hayward from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $19.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, March 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $19.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hayward news, CFO Eifion Jones sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.57, for a total transaction of $218,550.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 316,100 shares in the company, valued at $4,605,577. This trade represents a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 52,390 shares of Hayward stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.99, for a total value of $837,716.10. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 623,540 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,970,404.60. This trade represents a 7.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 172,168 shares of company stock worth $2,721,189. 5.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hayward Price Performance

HAYW stock opened at $13.79 on Friday. 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 Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $11.10 and a one year high of $17.73. The stock has a market cap of $3.00 billion, a PE ratio of 20.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.13. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $15.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $15.79.

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.01. Hayward had a net margin of 13.51% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The firm had revenue of $349.38 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $332.84 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.27 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Hayward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.820-0.860 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Hayward Holdings, Inc. will post 0.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.

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