Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. Grows Stake in Hayward Holdings, Inc. $HAYW

Key Points

• Polar Asset Management increased its Hayward Holdings stake by 140% in the first quarter, adding 218,300 shares to own 374,200 shares worth approximately $5.0 million, or 0.17% of the company.
• Hayward exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.13 in EPS versus $0.11 expected and $255.2 million in revenue, up 11.5% year over year. Management guided to fiscal 2026 EPS of $0.84–$0.87.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with two Buy ratings and five Holds producing an overall “Hold” rating and an average price target of $17.50, compared with the stock’s reported $14.44 opening price.

Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of Hayward Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HAYW - Free Report) by 140.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 374,200 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 218,300 shares during the period. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. owned approximately 0.17% of Hayward worth $5,007,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HAYW. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its stake in shares of Hayward by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 45,672 shares of the company's stock valued at $706,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in Hayward by 80.2% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,058 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 916 shares in the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its stake in Hayward by 0.8% in the first quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 112,055 shares of the company's stock worth $1,499,000 after purchasing an additional 938 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Hayward by 82.4% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,183 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 986 shares during the period. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its holdings in Hayward by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 13,903 shares of the company's stock worth $215,000 after purchasing an additional 1,035 shares during the period.

Insider Transactions at Hayward

In other news, SVP Susan M. Canning acquired 2,242 shares of Hayward stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $12.76 per share, for a total transaction of $28,607.92. Following the purchase, the senior vice president directly owned 103,837 shares in the company, valued at $1,324,960.12. The trade was a 2.21% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 120,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.28, for a total transaction of $2,073,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 701,234 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,117,323.52. This trade represents a 14.61% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 222,389 shares of company stock worth $3,649,544 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 4.73% of the company's stock.

Hayward Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE HAYW opened at $14.44 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 3.26 and a quick ratio of 2.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.07. Hayward Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $12.93 and a 1-year high of $17.73. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $14.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.13.

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $255.22 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $239.13 million. Hayward had a return on equity of 11.45% and a net margin of 13.98%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.10 earnings per share. Hayward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.840-0.870 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Hayward Holdings, Inc. will post 0.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HAYW has been the subject of several research reports. Zacks Research cut Hayward from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Hayward from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. KeyCorp reaffirmed a "sector weight" rating on shares of Hayward in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Hayward in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Hayward from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $17.50.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding HAYW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Hayward Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HAYW - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.