Sifting through countless of stocks in the Building Products industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Hayward Holdings, Inc. or Flowserve Corporation because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Hayward Holdings, Inc. and Flowserve Corporation compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Hayward Holdings, Inc. and Flowserve Corporation

Hayward Holdings, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets a portfolio of pool equipment and associated automation systems in North America, Europe, and internationally. It offers pool equipment, including pumps, filters, robotics, suction and pressure cleaners, water features and landscape lighting, water sanitizers, salt chlorine generators, gas heaters and heat pumps, safety equipment, and in-floor automated cleaning systems, as well as LED illumination solutions. The company sells its products through specialty distributors, retailers, pool builders, and buying groups. Hayward Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1925 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Flowserve Corporation designs, manufactures, distributes, and services industrial flow management equipment in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates in two segments, Flowserve Pumps Division (FPD) and Flow Control Division (FCD). It offers custom engineered pumps, pre-configured industrial pumps, pump systems, mechanical seals, auxiliary systems, replacement parts, and related services; and manufactures gas-lubricated mechanical seals for gas pipelines and in the energy production and process markets. The company also provides equipment services, including installation, commissioning services, seal systems spare parts, repairs, advanced diagnostics, re-rate and upgrade solutions, retrofit programs, and machining and asset management solutions. In addition, it offers engineered-to-order and configured-to-order isolation valves, control valves, valve automation products and related services and equipment; and actuators, positioners, and switches used to control, direct and manage the flow of liquids, gases and multi-phase fluids, and are a part of any flow control system. Further, the company provides equipment maintenance services for flow control systems, including advanced diagnostics, repair, installation, commissioning, retrofit programs, and field machining capabilities. It sells its products under the Valtek, Argus, Worcester, Limitorque, and Durco brands. The company serves oil and gas, power generation, chemical, water management and general industries, including pharmaceuticals, mining, food and beverage, steel, and pulp and paper industries. It distributes its products through direct sales, distributors, and sales representatives. Flowserve Corporation was founded in 1790 and is headquartered in Irving, Texas.

Latest Building Products and Hayward Holdings, Inc., Flowserve Corporation Stock News

As of March 27, 2026, Hayward Holdings, Inc. had a $2.9 billion market capitalization, compared to the Building Products median of $4.8 million. Hayward Holdings, Inc.’s stock is down 14.4% in 2026, down 3% in the previous five trading days and down 7.09% in the past year.

Currently, Hayward Holdings, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 19.5. Hayward Holdings, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.1 billion with a 13.5% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 6.8%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $0.846 per share for the current fiscal year. Hayward Holdings, Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

As of March 27, 2026, Flowserve Corporation had a $9.2 billion market cap, putting it in the 78th percentile of all stocks. Flowserve Corporation’s stock is up 4% in 2026, up 1.1% in the previous five trading days and up 40.48% in the past year.

Currently, Flowserve Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 27.3. Flowserve Corporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $4.7 billion with a 7.3% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 3.5%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $4.138 per share for the current fiscal year. Flowserve Corporation currently has a 1.2% dividend yield.

How We Compare Hayward Holdings, Inc. and Flowserve Corporation Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Hayward Holdings, Inc. and Flowserve Corporation’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Hayward Holdings, Inc. and Flowserve Corporation Stock Value Grades

Company	Ticker	Value
Hayward Holdings, Inc.	HAYW	C
Flowserve Corporation	FLS	D

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection.

Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade derives from a stock’s value score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are a good value and so on.

Hayward Holdings, Inc. has a Value Score of 43, which is Average. Flowserve Corporation has a Value Score of 40, which is Expensive.

The Value Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Hayward Holdings, Inc. or Flowserve Corporation has a high enough value grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolio. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Hayward Holdings, Inc. or Flowserve Corporation is the better investment when it comes to value.

Hayward Holdings, Inc. and Flowserve Corporation’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
Hayward Holdings, Inc.	HAYW	A
Flowserve Corporation	FLS	A

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

Hayward Holdings, Inc. has a Quality Score of 82, which is Very Strong. Flowserve Corporation has a Quality Score of 96, which is Very Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Quality Grade breakdown above, both Hayward Holdings, Inc. and Flowserve Corporation have a grade of A. For investors who focus solely on a company’s overall quality, you will need to conduct further research into both companies to see if they are a good fit for your portfolio. As a good rule of thumb, you should always analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before choosing a company to invest in.

Hayward Holdings, Inc. and Flowserve Corporation’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
Hayward Holdings, Inc.	HAYW	C
Flowserve Corporation	FLS	B

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Hayward Holdings, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 50, which is Neutral. Flowserve Corporation has a Earnings Estimate Score of 67, which is Positive.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: Flowserve Corporation

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, Flowserve Corporation has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than Hayward Holdings, Inc.. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, Flowserve Corporation could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other Hayward Holdings, Inc. and Flowserve Corporation Grades

In addition to Estimate Revisions, Value and Quality, A+ Investor also provides grades for Growth and Momentum.

Momentum grades help uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming.

Growth investing builds on the idea that stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth outperform those of slower-growth companies. AAII measures growth through consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Hayward Holdings, Inc. and Flowserve Corporation pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Hayward Holdings, Inc. or Flowserve Corporation Stock?

Overall, Hayward Holdings, Inc. stock has a Value Score of 43, Estimate Revisions Score of 50 and Quality Score of 82.

Flowserve Corporation stock has a Value Score of 40, Estimate Revisions Score of 67 and Quality Score of 96.

Comparing Hayward Holdings, Inc. and Flowserve Corporation’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.