94,954 Shares in Hawkins, Inc. $HWKN Bought by Giverny Capital Inc.

Giverny Capital Inc. bought a new position in Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 94,954 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,493,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of HWKN. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hawkins during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC purchased a new position in Hawkins in the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. acquired a new stake in Hawkins during the 2nd quarter worth about $37,000. Simplex Trading LLC lifted its stake in Hawkins by 246.0% during the fourth quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 346 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hawkins in the third quarter worth about $79,000. 69.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hawkins Stock Performance

NASDAQ:HWKN opened at $129.13 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 2.27 and a quick ratio of 1.54. Hawkins, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $116.04 and a fifty-two week high of $186.15. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $132.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $146.53. The stock has a market cap of $2.70 billion, a PE ratio of 33.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.77.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $315.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $313.42 million. Hawkins had a return on equity of 15.42% and a net margin of 7.29%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Hawkins, Inc. will post 4.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hawkins Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th were paid a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. Hawkins’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Jeffrey P. Oldenkamp purchased 1,290 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $119.00 per share, for a total transaction of $153,510.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 104,223 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,402,537. The trade was a 1.25% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Douglas Lange purchased 910 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $118.75 per share, for a total transaction of $108,062.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the vice president directly owned 28,169 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,345,068.75. The trade was a 3.34% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 3.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HWKN shares. BWS Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price target on shares of Hawkins in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Zacks Research lowered shares of Hawkins from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Barclays set a $142.00 price objective on shares of Hawkins and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Hawkins from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $171.00.

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.