CluenexHayward Holdings HAYW
Hayward Holdings scores average on business quality (4.7 of 10). Here is why, in plain words, and what our sealed record shows.
Why it matters
- What Hayward Holdings does
Hayward Holdings manufactures residential and commercial pool equipment, selling pumps, filters, and heaters primarily to pool builders and distributors. The company relies on replacement demand and new pool installations to drive recurring equipment sales.
- What it does best
Hayward delivers a gross margin of 46.4%, outperforming peer Trex at 38.3%. This edge stems from proprietary manufacturing scale and entrenched distributor relationships that protect its pricing power.
- The main risk
Interest coverage of 3.7x leaves the business vulnerable to rate shocks. With $957 million in total debt against an interest coverage ratio that allows little room for error, prolonged high rates strain cash flow servicing costs.
Quality, check by check
Scored against its own industry, from company filings.
Gross margin sits at 46.4% and FCF margin is strong, placing it in the top quartile of its sector at the 80th percentile. Scale converts revenue efficiently into cash.
Switching costs lock in pool owners and service professionals who rely on its proprietary equipment ecosystem. It ranks in the top quartile for gross margin at 77th percentile.
Revenue grew 6.7% to $1.2 billion, showing a recovery from prior years but remaining below its 2021 peak of $1.4 billion.
Total debt sits at $957 million with an interest coverage ratio of 3.7x, leaving it vulnerable to debt costs. Free cash flow reached $200 million, showing steady generation.
Insiders
Executives and directors, from SEC Form 4 filings we read ourselves. Open market trades only; grants, option exercises and pre-planned sales left out.
No open market buys or unplanned sales by executives or directors.
Our sealed record on HAYW
Verdicts appear here 30 days after we publish them; members see today's. Each one is in the nightly ledger, fingerprinted the night it was made.
The first sealed verdicts appear here on Oct 11, 2026.
Questions
Hayward Holdings scores average on the Cluenex quality check (4.7 of 10), measured against its own industry. Profitability is fair, moat fair, growth slow and financial health fair.
In the last 90 days of SEC Form 4 filings: No open market buys or unplanned sales by executives or directors.
Oct 28, 2026, before the open.
See HAYW today
- Today's verdict on HAYW, and why
- Fair value with cautious, base and optimistic cases
- The exact price that would change the verdict
- Which stocks each signal names, the night it fires
Cite this page: Cluenex, “Hayward Holdings (HAYW)”, https://cluenex.com/stocks/hayw/, data as of Oct 10, 2026.