Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Makes New Investment in Hayward Holdings, Inc. $HAYW

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in Hayward Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HAYW) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 246,306 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,264,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hayward by 80.2% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,058 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 916 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Hayward by 103.9% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,482 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,265 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in Hayward during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new position in Hayward during the 2nd quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Hayward by 669.4% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,716 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 3,233 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on HAYW. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Hayward in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Hayward in a research report on Monday, July 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Hayward in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Hayward from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $17.50.

Hayward Stock Performance

Shares of HAYW stock opened at $13.70 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $15.24 and a 200-day moving average of $14.82. The company has a market cap of $2.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 2.49, a current ratio of 3.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Hayward Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $12.93 and a 52 week high of $17.73.

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $318.38 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $303.35 million. Hayward had a net margin of 13.83% and a return on equity of 11.61%. Hayward’s revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.24 earnings per share. Hayward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.840-0.870 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Hayward Holdings, Inc. will post 0.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 120,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.28, for a total value of $2,073,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 701,234 shares in the company, valued at $12,117,323.52. This trade represents a 14.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 270,000 shares of company stock worth $4,385,100. 4.73% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.