Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN) Receives $162.50 Average Price Target from Brokerages

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

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on HWKN shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Hawkins from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. BWS Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of Hawkins in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Hawkins from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director James A. Faulconbridge purchased 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $129.29 per share, for a total transaction of $193,935.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 50,907 shares in the company, valued at $6,581,766.03. This trade represents a 3.04% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 4.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HWKN. Swiss National Bank raised its holdings in Hawkins by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 39,088 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $5,553,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hawkins by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 62,507 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $8,880,000 after purchasing an additional 2,734 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Hawkins by 18.4% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,072 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $294,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT grew its stake in shares of Hawkins by 40.0% in the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 10,234 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,454,000 after buying an additional 2,925 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its holdings in shares of Hawkins by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 10,515 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,494,000 after buying an additional 794 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.71% of the company’s stock.

Hawkins Trading Up 1.0%

Hawkins stock opened at $151.01 on Thursday. Hawkins has a one year low of $98.30 and a one year high of $186.15. The business’s fifty day moving average is $145.15 and its 200 day moving average is $154.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.16 billion, a PE ratio of 38.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 2.35 and a quick ratio of 1.46.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) last posted 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 net margin of 7.75% and a return on equity of 16.85%. The company had revenue of $244.08 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $252.51 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Hawkins will post 4 EPS for the current year.

Hawkins Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. Hawkins’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.