Hawkins’ (HWKN) “Buy” Rating Reaffirmed at BWS Financial

BWS Financial reiterated their buy rating on shares of Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) in a report published on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $200.00 price target on the specialty chemicals company’s stock.

HWKN has been the subject of several other reports. Weiss Ratings cut Hawkins from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Zacks Research raised Hawkins from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hawkins has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $162.50.

Hawkins Stock Up 6.4%

HWKN opened at $140.74 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $145.09 and a 200 day moving average of $149.92. The company has a market cap of $2.94 billion, a PE ratio of 35.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.82. Hawkins has a 12 month low of $101.72 and a 12 month high of $186.15. The company has a current ratio of 2.35, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

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

Hawkins Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Hawkins

In other news, Director James A. Faulconbridge purchased 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $129.29 per share, with a total value of $193,935.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 50,907 shares in the company, valued at $6,581,766.03. This trade represents a 3.04% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 4.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hawkins

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital World Investors increased its stake in Hawkins by 618.8% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 355,619 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $64,979,000 after acquiring an additional 306,143 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hawkins during the 4th quarter valued at about $19,098,000. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Hawkins by 31.4% during the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 552,419 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $78,477,000 after acquiring an additional 131,850 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Hawkins by 44.4% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 407,793 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $74,512,000 after purchasing an additional 125,444 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Hawkins by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,067,451 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $151,642,000 after purchasing an additional 111,318 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.71% of the company’s stock.

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.