Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.01 EPS

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) issued its earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.01, FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $349.38 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $332.84 million. Hayward had a net margin of 12.54% and a return on equity of 11.24%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.27 earnings per share. Hayward updated its FY 2026 guidance to 0.820-0.860 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Hayward’s conference call:

• Hayward beat expectations in Q4 and FY2025 with net sales up 7%, adjusted EBITDA up 8% for the year, record 48% gross margin, adjusted diluted EPS up 15% to $0.77, and reduced net leverage to 1.9x, driven by aftermarket strength and cash generation.
• 2026 guidance calls for approximately 4% net sales growth, adjusted diluted EPS of $0.82–$0.86 (6%–12% growth), and roughly $200M of free cash flow, with ~ $40M in CapEx to modernize U.S. operations.
• The company is scaling its OmniX ecosystem—now standard on new variable speed pumps and gas heaters—and launched new products (4HP pumps, TrackJet cleaner, ColorLogic lights) to pursue upgrades across an estimated 3.5M under‑automated U.S. pools, reinforcing its aftermarket-driven model (~85% of sales).
• Management increased investments in R&D (+6%), sales/customer initiatives, AI-enabled service tools, and Hayward hubs, and incurred higher variable compensation and one‑time legal costs in Q4, which compressed adjusted EBITDA margin but are presented as strategic, longer‑term growth levers.
• Tariff/supply‑chain actions reduced China exposure from ~10% to ~3%, but reshoring adds incremental cost (~$5–6M, ~1.5% of cost of sales); management says this is covered in guidance but it remains a margin risk if trade policy or costs shift further.

Hayward Trading Down 4.3%

Shares of Hayward stock traded down $0.68 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $14.99. The stock had a trading volume of 895,471 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,685,056. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $16.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $15.92. The firm has a market cap of $3.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 3.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Hayward has a 12-month low of $11.10 and a 12-month high of $17.73.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on HAYW. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Hayward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hayward in a report on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $18.00.

Insider Activity at Hayward

In related news, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 52,389 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.05, for a total value of $840,843.45. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 623,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,007,817. This represents a 7.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 165,350 shares of company stock worth $2,655,570. 5.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hayward

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hayward by 149.2% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 2,814 shares during the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Hayward in the 4th quarter valued at about $99,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in Hayward by 756.3% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,713 shares of the company’s stock valued at $104,000 after buying an additional 5,929 shares during the period. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Hayward in the second quarter valued at about $151,000. Finally, Polymer Capital Management HK LTD purchased a new position in Hayward during the third quarter worth about $179,000.

Hayward Company 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.