Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Still a Buy?

Hayward Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HAYW) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Friday . Approximately 4,737,833 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 96% from the previous session’s volume of 2,413,147 shares.The stock last traded at $12.9450 and had previously closed at $12.89.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on HAYW shares. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Hayward in a report on Tuesday. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Hayward in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Hayward in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Hayward in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Hayward from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hayward has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $17.50.

Hayward Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $14.54 and a 200-day moving average of $14.62. The company has a current ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.10.

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.02. Hayward had a net margin of 13.83% and a return on equity of 11.61%. The business had revenue of $318.38 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $303.35 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.24 earnings per share. Hayward’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. Hayward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.840-0.870 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Hayward Holdings, Inc. will post 0.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hayward news, SVP Susan M. Canning sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.84, for a total transaction of $44,940.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 167,911 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,155,977.24. This trade represents a 2.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 120,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.28, for a total transaction of $2,073,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 701,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,117,323.52. This 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 273,500 shares of company stock worth $4,430,040 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 4.73% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hayward

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HAYW. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position 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 acquiring an additional 916 shares during the period. Nykredit A S bought a new position in Hayward during the second quarter valued at $42,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in Hayward by 103.9% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 1,265 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Hayward in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP purchased a new position in shares of Hayward during the 2nd quarter valued at $47,000.

Hayward Company Profile

Hayward Holdings, Inc designs, manufactures and sells equipment and systems used in residential and commercial swimming pools. Its product portfolio includes pumps, filters, heaters, heat pumps, automatic cleaners, lighting, salt chlorination systems and pool automation and controls.

The company’s products are intended to help pool owners and professionals circulate, filter, heat, sanitize and manage pool water. Hayward sells through distributors, retailers, pool builders and service professionals, serving customers primarily in North America as well as selected international markets.

Hayward’s business traces its history to 1925 and has developed from a pool-equipment manufacturer into a provider of connected and energy-efficient pool solutions.