Hayward Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HAYW) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

Hayward Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HAYW) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 12,550,000 shares, a decline of 8.1% from the September 30th total of 13,650,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,680,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 7.5 days. Approximately 5.9% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Hayward Stock Down 2.1 %

Hayward stock traded down $0.35 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $16.26. The stock had a trading volume of 3,244,201 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,467,414. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $14.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $14.04. Hayward has a 12 month low of $9.80 and a 12 month high of $16.85. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a market capitalization of $3.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.64, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.21.

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $0.11 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.02. Hayward had a return on equity of 9.66% and a net margin of 9.06%. The firm had revenue of $227.57 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $222.88 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.08 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Hayward will post 0.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HAYW has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. KeyCorp increased their price target on Hayward from $17.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Hayward from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Hayward from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Hayward from $15.50 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $16.80.

Insider Activity at Hayward

In other Hayward news, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 42,857 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.63, for a total transaction of $584,140.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 522,799 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,125,750.37. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 3.25% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Hayward by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,703,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $199,970,000 after acquiring an additional 1,166,717 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in Hayward by 24.2% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 16,691 shares of the company’s stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 3,253 shares in the last quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hayward by 79.6% in the first quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 43,069 shares of the company’s stock worth $659,000 after purchasing an additional 19,095 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Hayward by 26.5% in the first quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 52,181 shares of the company’s stock valued at $799,000 after purchasing an additional 10,922 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new stake in Hayward in the 1st quarter valued at $181,000.

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.