Quantbot Technologies LP Reduces Position in Hawkins, Inc. $HWKN

Quantbot Technologies LP lessened its holdings in shares of Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN) by 92.4% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,156 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 14,154 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Hawkins were worth $211,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hawkins in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. First Horizon Corp bought a new position in Hawkins in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd grew its stake in Hawkins by 62.2% in the 3rd quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 300 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its stake in Hawkins by 694.1% in the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 405 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $74,000 after buying an additional 354 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its holdings in Hawkins by 492.0% during the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 592 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $106,000 after acquiring an additional 492 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.71% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Hawkins

In other Hawkins news, Director James A. Faulconbridge purchased 1,500 shares of Hawkins stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were bought at an average price of $129.29 per share, for a total transaction of $193,935.00. Following the acquisition, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 4.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Hawkins Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:HWKN opened at $147.99 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.09 billion, a PE ratio of 37.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 2.35. Hawkins, Inc. has a 52-week low of $101.72 and a 52-week high of $186.15. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $146.92 and a 200 day moving average of $151.74.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.75 by ($0.03). Hawkins had a return on equity of 16.85% and a net margin of 7.75%.The firm had revenue of $244.08 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $252.51 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Hawkins, Inc. will post 4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hawkins Announces Dividend

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

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.