Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.01 EPS

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The company reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.01, FiscalAI reports. Hayward had a net margin of 12.54% and a return on equity of 11.24%. The firm had revenue of $349.38 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $332.84 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.27 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Hayward updated its FY 2026 guidance to 0.820-0.860 EPS.

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

• Hayward beat expectations in Q4 and FY2025 with net sales up 7%, adjusted EBITDA up 8% for the year, record 48% gross margin, adjusted diluted EPS up 15% to $0.77, and reduced net leverage to 1.9x, driven by aftermarket strength and cash generation.
• 2026 guidance calls for approximately 4% net sales growth, adjusted diluted EPS of $0.82–$0.86 (6%–12% growth), and roughly $200M of free cash flow, with ~ $40M in CapEx to modernize U.S. operations.
• The company is scaling its OmniX ecosystem—now standard on new variable speed pumps and gas heaters—and launched new products (4HP pumps, TrackJet cleaner, ColorLogic lights) to pursue upgrades across an estimated 3.5M under‑automated U.S. pools, reinforcing its aftermarket-driven model (~85% of sales).
• Management increased investments in R&D (+6%), sales/customer initiatives, AI-enabled service tools, and Hayward hubs, and incurred higher variable compensation and one‑time legal costs in Q4, which compressed adjusted EBITDA margin but are presented as strategic, longer‑term growth levers.
• Tariff/supply‑chain actions reduced China exposure from ~10% to ~3%, but reshoring adds incremental cost (~$5–6M, ~1.5% of cost of sales); management says this is covered in guidance but it remains a margin risk if trade policy or costs shift further.

Hayward Stock Down 4.3%

HAYW stock traded down $0.68 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $14.99. The company had a trading volume of 895,471 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,685,056. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $16.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $15.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 2.31 and a current ratio of 3.18. The company has a market capitalization of $3.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.13. Hayward has a fifty-two week low of $11.10 and a fifty-two week high of $17.73.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on HAYW. Zacks Research downgraded Hayward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hayward in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $18.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hayward

In related news, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 52,389 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.05, for a total value of $840,843.45. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 623,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,007,817. This trade represents a 7.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 165,350 shares of company stock worth $2,655,570 in the last 90 days. 5.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hayward

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Hayward by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,518,264 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,357,000 after purchasing an additional 313,571 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Hayward by 12.8% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 17,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 1,968 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its position in shares of Hayward by 75.3% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 71,516 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,105,000 after buying an additional 30,718 shares during the last quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury lifted its position in shares of Hayward by 71.1% during the 4th quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 79,770 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,287,000 after buying an additional 33,142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hayward in the 4th quarter valued at $288,000.

Hayward Company Profile

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.