Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) Reaches New 12-Month Low After Insider Selling

Hayward Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HAYW)’s share price reached a new 52-week low on Friday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $11.70 and last traded at $11.70, with a volume of 872369 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.43.

Specifically, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.52, for a total transaction of $626,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 623,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,806,720.80. This represents a 7.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Hayward from $17.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Hayward in a research report on Monday, January 6th. 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 report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Hayward from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Thursday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.13.

Hayward Stock Performance

The business’s fifty day moving average is $14.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 2.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.64 billion, a PE ratio of 29.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.14.

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.03. Hayward had a net margin of 9.47% and a return on equity of 9.93%. The firm had revenue of $327.08 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $302.76 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Hayward Holdings, Inc. will post 0.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hayward

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hayward by 30.2% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,891 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 671 shares during the period. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in Hayward by 98.0% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 5,099 shares of the company’s stock valued at $78,000 after purchasing an additional 2,524 shares during the period. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in shares of Hayward by 56.2% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 6,343 shares of the company’s stock valued at $97,000 after purchasing an additional 2,283 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Hayward by 61.9% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 8,546 shares of the company’s stock worth $131,000 after purchasing an additional 3,268 shares during the period. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hayward by 25.4% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 10,196 shares of the company’s stock valued at $156,000 after purchasing an additional 2,062 shares in the last quarter.

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.