Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Has $19.19 Million Position in Hawkins, Inc. $HWKN

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN) by 15.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 105,040 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,845 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.50% of Hawkins worth $19,193,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in HWKN. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its stake in Hawkins by 137.5% during the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 16,302 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,979,000 after buying an additional 9,439 shares during the last quarter. Callan Family Office LLC bought a new position in shares of Hawkins in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,568,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hawkins in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $935,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hawkins by 12.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 113,371 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $20,715,000 after acquiring an additional 12,767 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Neuberger Berman Group LLC bought a new stake in Hawkins during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,594,000. Institutional investors own 69.71% of the company’s stock.

Hawkins Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ HWKN opened at $150.12 on Friday. Hawkins, Inc. has a 1 year low of $100.34 and a 1 year high of $186.15. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $146.56 and its 200-day moving average is $152.44. The company has a current ratio of 2.35, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.14 billion, a PE ratio of 38.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.82.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by ($0.03). Hawkins had a return on equity of 16.85% and a net margin of 7.75%.The business had revenue of $244.08 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $252.51 million. Equities analysts expect that Hawkins, Inc. will post 4 EPS for the current year.

Hawkins Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were given a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. Hawkins’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.24%.

Insider Activity at Hawkins

In related news, Director James A. Faulconbridge acquired 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $129.29 per share, with a total value of $193,935.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 50,907 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,581,766.03. This trade represents a 3.04% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 4.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on HWKN. Zacks Research upgraded Hawkins from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. BWS Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Hawkins in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Hawkins from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $162.50.

Hawkins Profile

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.