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

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The company reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.01, FiscalAI reports. Hayward had a net margin of 12.54% and a return on equity of 11.24%. The firm had revenue of $349.38 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $332.84 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.27 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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 Price Performance

NYSE HAYW traded down $0.79 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $14.88. The company had a trading volume of 1,186,786 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,696,829. The company has a market capitalization of $3.23 billion, a PE ratio of 24.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a current ratio of 3.18, a quick ratio of 2.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Hayward has a twelve month low of $11.10 and a twelve month high of $17.73. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $16.23 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.92.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 60,571 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.13, for a total transaction of $977,010.23. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 623,540 shares in the company, valued at $10,057,700.20. This represents a 8.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 165,350 shares of company stock worth $2,655,570. 5.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 2,814 shares during the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hayward during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $99,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in Hayward by 756.3% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,713 shares of the company’s stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 5,929 shares during the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC bought a new position in Hayward in the 2nd quarter valued at $151,000. Finally, Polymer Capital Management HK LTD purchased a new stake in shares of Hayward during the 3rd quarter valued at $179,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hayward in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research cut Hayward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Hayward presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $18.00.

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.