Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the five research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $162.50.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Zacks Research raised Hawkins from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Weiss Ratings downgraded Hawkins from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, BWS Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $200.00 price objective on shares of Hawkins in a report on Monday.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director James A. Faulconbridge acquired 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $129.29 per share, for a total transaction of $193,935.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 50,907 shares in the company, valued at $6,581,766.03. The trade was a 3.04% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 4.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hawkins

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in Hawkins during the third quarter worth $27,000. First Horizon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Hawkins during the third quarter worth $34,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hawkins in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hawkins in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd raised its holdings in shares of 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 during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.71% of the company’s stock.

Hawkins Stock Down 0.6%

HWKN stock opened at $151.34 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.16 billion, a PE ratio of 38.31, a PEG ratio of 3.22 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. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $144.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $149.82. Hawkins has a one year low of $101.72 and a one year high of $186.15.

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

Hawkins Dividend Announcement

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

Hawkins Company 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.