Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.03, FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $260.13 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $251.80 million. Hayward had a return on equity of 11.61% and a net margin of 13.83%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.14 earnings per share.

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

• Third-quarter results exceeded the prior-year period, with net sales up 6% to $260 million, adjusted EBITDA up 9%, and adjusted diluted EPS up 29% to $0.18. North American sales rose 9%, including 2% volume growth.
• Hayward cited resilient aftermarket demand, which represents more than 85% of sales, along with continued share gains in automation, sanitization, controls, and lighting. North American Early Buy orders for the 2027 pool season are currently ahead of last year, with channel inventories described as balanced.
• Management raised its full-year 2026 outlook to approximately 5%-6% sales growth and adjusted diluted EPS of $0.86-$0.88, or 12%-14% growth. The company continues to target roughly $200 million in free cash flow and expects full-year gross margin near 48% despite inflation and tariffs.
• The new-construction market remains weak, with management not yet seeing a meaningful macro improvement, while Europe and rest-of-world operations face geopolitical and demand pressures. Inflation is expected to be mid- to slightly above mid-single digits in 2026, and fourth-quarter sales guidance of flat to up 3% reflects cautious assumptions about lower-margin Early Buy mix and potentially tighter distributor inventories.

Hayward Trading Up 12.6%

Shares of HAYW traded up $1.64 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $14.67. 3,179,281 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,605,303. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $12.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $14.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 2.49 and a current ratio of 3.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.11 billion, a PE ratio of 19.80, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.18. Hayward has a 52 week low of $11.24 and a 52 week high of $17.73.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on HAYW shares. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Hayward in a report on Monday, July 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Hayward in a report on Monday, July 6th. Zacks Research cut shares of Hayward from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Hayward in a research report on Tuesday, September 15th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Hayward from $17.00 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $16.62.

Insider Activity at Hayward

In other news, SVP Susan Canning sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.70, for a total value of $40,950.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 164,411 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,923,608.70. This represents a 2.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.40, for a total transaction of $620,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 401,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,975,301.60. This trade represents a 11.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 157,000 shares of company stock worth $2,163,890 over the last quarter. 4.73% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Hayward

Hayward Holdings, Inc designs, manufactures and markets equipment and technologies used in residential and commercial swimming pools. Its product portfolio includes pumps, filters, heaters, heat pumps, automatic pool cleaners, lighting, sanitization systems, water features and pool-control and automation solutions.

The company sells products under the Hayward brand and serves pool owners, builders, retailers, distributors and service professionals. Its equipment is used in both new pool construction and the replacement and renovation market, with an emphasis on energy efficiency, water quality and connected pool-management technologies.

Hayward traces its roots to 1925 and has developed into a global pool-equipment supplier.