Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) Lowered to "Hold" Rating by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks downgraded Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) from "strong-buy" to "hold"; the consensus analyst rating is now Hold with an average target price of $17.50.
• Hayward beat the quarter's expectations with $0.13 EPS vs. $0.12 expected and $255.22M revenue vs. $239.4M expected, and set FY2026 guidance of $0.840–$0.870 EPS (analysts forecast ~0.85).
• Insider selling accelerated: the CEO and CFO were among insiders who sold a combined 172,167 shares (about $2.59M) in the quarter, leaving insiders with 4.73% ownership.

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

HAYW has been the topic of several other research reports. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a "buy" rating and set a $19.50 price target (up from $19.00) on shares of Hayward in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Hayward from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $15.00 target price (down from $16.00) on shares of Hayward in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Hayward from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $17.50.

Hayward Stock Performance

NYSE:HAYW opened at $15.80 on Monday. Hayward has a fifty-two week low of $12.94 and a fifty-two week high of $17.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 2.29 and a current ratio of 2.94. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $14.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.24, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.18.

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.01. Hayward had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 13.51%.The company had revenue of $255.22 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $239.40 million. Hayward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.840-0.870 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Hayward will post 0.85 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Hayward

In other Hayward news, CFO Eifion Jones sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 316,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,605,577. This represents a 4.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 52,389 shares of Hayward stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.73, for a total transaction of $824,078.97. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 748,540 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,774,534.20. This trade represents a 6.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 172,167 shares of company stock valued at $2,586,533 in the last quarter. 4.73% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hayward

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in Hayward by 10,452.9% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,794 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 1,777 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hayward by 80.2% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,058 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 916 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Hayward by 82.4% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,183 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 986 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in shares of Hayward by 103.9% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,482 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,265 shares during the period. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Hayward during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000.

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.

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.