Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) Shares Gap Down – What’s Next?

Hayward Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HAYW)’s share price gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $15.88, but opened at $14.94. Hayward shares last traded at $14.8940, with a volume of 813,893 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Hayward in a report on Monday, July 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $15.00 price objective (down from $16.00) on shares of Hayward in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Hayward from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Bank of America decreased their price target on Hayward from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Hayward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.50.

Hayward Stock Down 7.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 2.47 and a current ratio of 3.26. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $14.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $15.20. The company has a market cap of $3.20 billion, a PE ratio of 20.24, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.07.

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.02. Hayward had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 11.45%. The business had revenue of $255.22 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $239.13 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.10 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. Hayward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.840-0.870 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Hayward Holdings, Inc. will post 0.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Hayward

In related news, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 120,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 701,234 shares in the company, valued at $12,117,323.52. This represents a 14.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Susan M. Canning purchased 2,242 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $12.76 per share, with a total value of $28,607.92. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 103,837 shares in the company, valued at $1,324,960.12. This trade represents a 2.21% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 222,389 shares of company stock valued at $3,649,544. 4.73% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HAYW. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hayward by 80.2% during the fourth 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 increased its position in Hayward by 82.4% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,183 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 986 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in Hayward by 103.9% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,482 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 1,265 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Hayward in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Hayward by 669.4% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,716 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 3,233 shares during the last quarter.

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.