Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN) Receives $162.50 Consensus PT from Brokerages

Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $162.50.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Zacks Research raised Hawkins from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. BWS Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Hawkins in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Hawkins from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th.

Hawkins Stock Up 4.7%

Hawkins stock opened at $140.71 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $144.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $155.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. Hawkins has a twelve month low of $98.30 and a twelve month high of $186.15. The company has a market capitalization of $2.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.86.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by ($0.03). Hawkins had a return on equity of 16.85% and a net margin of 7.75%.The company had revenue of $244.08 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $252.51 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that Hawkins will post 4 EPS for the current year.

Hawkins Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Hawkins’s payout ratio is presently 19.24%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director James A. Faulconbridge purchased 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $129.29 per share, with a total value of $193,935.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 50,907 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,581,766.03. The trade was a 3.04% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 4.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hawkins

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in Hawkins by 618.8% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 355,619 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $64,979,000 after buying an additional 306,143 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Hawkins during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $19,098,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Hawkins by 44.4% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 407,793 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $74,512,000 after acquiring an additional 125,444 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its stake in Hawkins by 130.7% in the 2nd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 149,397 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $21,229,000 after purchasing an additional 84,651 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Granite Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in Hawkins in the 3rd quarter valued at $11,610,000. Hedge funds and other 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.