Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.02 EPS

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) posted its earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.02, FiscalAI reports. Hayward had a return on equity of 11.45% and a net margin of 13.98%.The company had revenue of $255.22 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $239.13 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.10 earnings per share. Hayward’s quarterly revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. Hayward updated its FY 2026 guidance to 0.840-0.870 EPS.

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

• Hayward delivered an outstanding Q1 with net sales up 12% to $255M, adjusted EBITDA +15% and adjusted diluted EPS +30% (to $0.13), while gross margin and adjusted EBITDA margin expanded year-over-year.
• The company raised 2026 guidance, now expecting ~5% net sales growth and adjusted diluted EPS up ~9%–13% to a range of $0.84–$0.87, citing Q1 outperformance and SG&A leverage.
• Near?term margin pressure is possible from higher specialty metals, freight and resin costs and geopolitical/tariff effects; management has implemented targeted price increases and a ~2.5% surcharge but expects some Q2 gross?margin compression before mitigation takes hold.
• Balance sheet progress: net leverage improved to 2.4x from 2.8x year?over?year, Q1 included seasonal cash use tied to the early?buy program, and the firm expects roughly $200M free cash flow with continued flexibility for CapEx (~$40M), M&A, and buybacks.
• Underlying growth drivers remain intact—about 85% aftermarket exposure, product innovation (e.g., OmniX), commercial execution and targeted regional share gains supported positive volume and strength in discretionary categories.

Hayward Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of HAYW stock traded up $0.07 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $15.08. 3,377,073 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,078,575. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $14.63 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $15.57. Hayward has a 12-month low of $13.04 and a 12-month high of $17.73. The stock has a market cap of $3.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.65, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 2.29, a current ratio of 3.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Insider Activity at Hayward

In other news, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 52,389 shares of Hayward stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.73, for a total transaction of $824,078.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 748,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,774,534.20. This trade represents a 6.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Eifion Jones sold 15,000 shares of Hayward stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.57, for a total transaction of $218,550.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 316,100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,605,577. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 172,167 shares of company stock valued at $2,586,533 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 4.73% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hayward

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in Hayward by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 13,903 shares of the company’s stock worth $215,000 after buying an additional 1,035 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in shares of Hayward by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 42,206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $652,000 after buying an additional 1,889 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Hayward by 12.8% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 17,372 shares of the company’s stock valued at $268,000 after buying an additional 1,968 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL raised its position in shares of Hayward by 9.0% during the 3rd quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 28,830 shares of the company’s stock valued at $436,000 after buying an additional 2,381 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Hayward by 149.2% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 2,814 shares during the period.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on HAYW shares. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Hayward from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 20th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and issued a $15.00 price objective (down from $16.00) on shares of Hayward in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Zacks Research lowered shares of Hayward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Hayward from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus restated a “buy” rating and issued a $19.50 price objective (up from $19.00) on shares of Hayward in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hayward has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.50.

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.