Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $162.50.

HWKN has been the topic of several research reports. BWS Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Hawkins in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Zacks Research upgraded Hawkins from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Hawkins in a research report on Monday, December 29th.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Drew M. Grahek purchased 1,587 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $126.34 per share, for a total transaction of $200,501.58. Following the completion of the acquisition, the vice president directly owned 39,640 shares in the company, valued at $5,008,117.60. This represents a 4.17% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 4.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hawkins

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Montanaro Asset Management Ltd raised its position in Hawkins by 294.0% in the second quarter. Montanaro Asset Management Ltd now owns 59,100 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $8,398,000 after acquiring an additional 44,100 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Hawkins in the 2nd quarter worth $16,956,000. Neuberger Berman Group LLC bought a new position in Hawkins in the 2nd quarter worth $4,594,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Hawkins by 1.1% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 478,348 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $67,981,000 after purchasing an additional 5,110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Hawkins during the second quarter valued at about $332,000. 69.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hawkins Stock Up 2.6%

HWKN stock opened at $157.66 on Friday. Hawkins has a fifty-two week low of $98.30 and a fifty-two week high of $186.15. The company has a market capitalization of $3.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.86. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $137.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $156.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.43.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.24 by ($0.16). The firm had revenue of $280.43 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $284.42 million. Hawkins had a net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 17.42%. As a group, analysts forecast that Hawkins will post 4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hawkins Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th were issued a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 14th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Hawkins’s payout ratio is 19.10%.

About Hawkins

Hawkins, Inc (NASDAQ: HWKN) is a specialty chemical company that produces and distributes water-treatment and industrial chemicals across North America. Founded in 1938 and headquartered in Roseville, Minnesota, the company has built a network of manufacturing facilities and distribution centers that serve municipal, industrial and commercial customers. As a publicly traded entity, Hawkins leverages its long-standing presence in the chemical distribution industry to provide tailored solutions for complex water-treatment challenges and specialty chemical needs.

Hawkins’ product portfolio encompasses a wide range of chemicals, including sodium hypochlorite, sodium hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide, chlorine, acids and specialty blends.