Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) Stock Rating Lowered by Wolfe Research

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) was downgraded by analysts at Wolfe Research from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Hayward from $17.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. KeyCorp reissued a “sector weight” rating on shares of Hayward in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised Hayward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $16.50 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hayward currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $17.13.

Hayward Stock Performance

NYSE HAYW opened at $12.21 on Thursday. Hayward has a 1-year low of $11.54 and a 1-year high of $16.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 2.62 and a quick ratio of 1.69. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $14.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.04. The company has a market cap of $2.64 billion, a PE ratio of 29.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.16.

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

Insider Transactions at Hayward

In related news, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.52, for a total transaction of $726,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 522,799 shares in the company, valued at $7,591,041.48. This trade represents a 8.73 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 3.25% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hayward

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HAYW. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Hayward by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,388,287 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,227,000 after purchasing an additional 59,017 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Hayward by 224.0% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 89,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,375,000 after acquiring an additional 62,196 shares during the last quarter. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. lifted its stake in Hayward by 81.4% in the 4th quarter. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. now owns 576,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,815,000 after buying an additional 258,700 shares in the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Hayward by 139.7% in the fourth quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management now owns 40,767 shares of the company’s stock valued at $623,000 after acquiring an additional 23,757 shares in the last quarter. Finally, iSAM Funds UK Ltd purchased a new position in Hayward in the 4th quarter valued at about $165,000.

Hayward Company Profile

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.