Stifel Nicolaus Upgrades Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) to “Buy”

Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage currently has $16.50 target price on the stock.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. KeyCorp reissued a “sector weight” rating on shares of Hayward in a research report on Monday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Hayward from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Hayward from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th.

Hayward Trading Up 2.4 %

Shares of HAYW opened at $14.59 on Wednesday. Hayward has a 12 month low of $11.96 and a 12 month high of $16.87. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $15.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.00. 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 has a market cap of $3.14 billion, a PE ratio of 34.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.16.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hayward

In related news, CFO Eifion Jones sold 75,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 258,903 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,170,927.33. This represents a 22.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 522,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,591,041.48. This represents a 8.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 225,000 shares of company stock worth $3,530,250 in the last 90 days. 3.25% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hayward

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Hayward by 30.2% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,891 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 671 shares in the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. grew its position in shares of Hayward by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 33,843 shares of the company’s stock valued at $519,000 after buying an additional 749 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in Hayward by 5.4% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 15,412 shares of the company’s stock worth $236,000 after acquiring an additional 784 shares during the last quarter. Choreo LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hayward by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 29,741 shares of the company’s stock valued at $454,000 after purchasing an additional 1,107 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Hayward by 25.4% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 10,196 shares of the company’s stock worth $156,000 after purchasing an additional 2,062 shares during the period.

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.