William Blair Issues Negative Outlook for Hayward Earnings

Hayward Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HAYW - Free Report) - William Blair dropped their Q1 2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of Hayward in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, January 31st. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $0.08 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.09. The consensus estimate for Hayward's current full-year earnings is $0.60 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Hayward's Q2 2025 earnings at $0.22 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $0.24 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $0.64 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Hayward from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of Hayward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $16.50 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Hayward from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, KeyCorp restated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Hayward in a research report on Monday, January 6th.

Hayward Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HAYW traded up $0.10 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $14.70. The stock had a trading volume of 1,059,609 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,490,117. The company has a current ratio of 2.62, a quick ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Hayward has a fifty-two week low of $11.96 and a fifty-two week high of $16.87. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $15.30 and a 200-day moving average of $15.00. The firm has a market cap of $3.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.99, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.16.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hayward

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. MSD Capital L P purchased a new position in Hayward during the 3rd quarter valued at about $418,901,000. Michael & Susan Dell Foundation acquired a new position in shares of Hayward during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,646,000. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in Hayward in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $20,391,000. Weiss Asset Management LP grew its holdings in Hayward by 515.0% during the 3rd quarter. Weiss Asset Management LP now owns 1,286,267 shares of the company's stock valued at $19,731,000 after buying an additional 1,077,117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in Hayward by 18.5% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,637,305 shares of the company's stock worth $86,476,000 after buying an additional 878,705 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Transactions at Hayward

In other news, CFO Eifion Jones sold 75,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.11, for a total value of $1,208,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 258,903 shares in the company, valued at $4,170,927.33. This trade represents a 22.46 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.52, for a total transaction of $726,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 522,799 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,591,041.48. This trade represents a 8.73 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 225,000 shares of company stock worth $3,530,250. Company insiders own 3.25% of the company's stock.

About Hayward

Hayward Holdings, Inc designs, manufactures, and markets a portfolio of pool equipment and associated automation systems in North America, Europe, and internationally. The company offers pool equipment, including pumps, filters, robotics, suction and pressure cleaners, gas heaters and heat pumps, water features and landscape lighting, water sanitizers, salt chlorine generators, safety equipment, and in-floor automated cleaning systems, as well as LED illumination solutions.