Investors Buy High Volume of Hayward Call Options (NYSE:HAYW)

Hayward Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HAYW) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock investors bought 11,039 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 1,386% compared to the average volume of 743 call options.

Hayward Stock Up 3.1%

HAYW stock opened at $16.07 on Friday. Hayward has a 12-month low of $11.10 and a 12-month high of $17.73. The company has a quick ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 3.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a market cap of $3.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.92, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a 50 day moving average of $15.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $15.51.

Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $244.34 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $231.46 million. Hayward had a return on equity of 11.24% and a net margin of 12.54%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.11 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Hayward will post 0.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Zacks Research downgraded Hayward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hayward in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four 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 $18.00.

Insider Transactions at Hayward

In other news, CEO Kevin Holleran sold 52,390 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.99, for a total transaction of $837,716.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 623,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,970,404.60. This trade represents a 7.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Eifion Jones sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.50, for a total transaction of $437,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 287,231 shares in the company, valued at $5,026,542.50. The trade was a 8.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 198,532 shares of company stock valued at $3,266,185 over the last three months. 5.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hayward

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HAYW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Hayward by 29.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 11,683,580 shares of the company’s stock worth $176,656,000 after buying an additional 2,627,348 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hayward during the 3rd quarter worth about $37,846,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hayward during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,402,000. Gotham Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hayward by 499.7% during the 3rd quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 1,947,137 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,441,000 after acquiring an additional 1,622,458 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hayward by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,827,605 shares of the company’s stock valued at $314,913,000 after acquiring an additional 1,074,072 shares in the last quarter.

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.