Hawkins, Inc. $HWKN Shares Sold by Rice Hall James & Associates LLC

Rice Hall James & Associates LLC lessened its holdings in Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN) by 18.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,187 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 5,020 shares during the period. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC’s holdings in Hawkins were worth $4,054,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of HWKN. Montanaro Asset Management Ltd boosted its holdings in Hawkins by 294.0% during the 2nd quarter. Montanaro Asset Management Ltd now owns 59,100 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $8,398,000 after acquiring an additional 44,100 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. purchased a new stake in Hawkins during the second quarter worth about $16,956,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hawkins by 2.8% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 109,697 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $11,619,000 after purchasing an additional 3,010 shares in the last quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hawkins during the second quarter worth about $4,594,000. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hawkins in the second quarter valued at approximately $332,000. 69.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hawkins Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of Hawkins stock opened at $146.82 on Friday. Hawkins, Inc. has a 52-week low of $98.30 and a 52-week high of $186.15. The company has a 50 day moving average of $139.96 and a 200 day moving average of $155.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The company has a market capitalization of $3.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.86.

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

Hawkins Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 28th. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th 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, November 14th. Hawkins’s dividend payout ratio is 19.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hawkins news, VP Drew M. Grahek purchased 1,587 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $126.34 per share, with a total value of $200,501.58. Following the acquisition, the vice president directly owned 39,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,008,117.60. This represents a 4.17% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 4.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HWKN has been the topic of several recent research reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Hawkins from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Hawkins in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, BWS Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $200.00 price objective on shares of Hawkins in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $162.50.

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.