GW&K Investment Management LLC Acquires 11,320 Shares of Hawkins, Inc. $HWKN

GW&K Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN) by 8.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 148,587 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 11,320 shares during the period. GW&K Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Hawkins were worth $21,108,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HWKN. Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hawkins in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd grew its position 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 last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hawkins in the 3rd quarter valued at about $79,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hawkins in the 4th quarter valued at about $93,000. Finally, iSAM Funds UK Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Hawkins in the 3rd quarter valued at about $102,000. Institutional investors own 69.71% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on HWKN. BWS Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $200.00 price target on shares of Hawkins in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Weiss Ratings lowered Hawkins from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $200.00.

Hawkins Price Performance

Hawkins stock opened at $153.78 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.33, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.76. Hawkins, Inc. has a 52-week low of $117.98 and a 52-week high of $186.15. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $157.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $148.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 2.21.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $265.91 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $255.28 million. Hawkins had a return on equity of 16.08% and a net margin of 7.53%. On average, equities analysts predict that Hawkins, Inc. will post 4.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Hawkins Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be given a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. Hawkins’s payout ratio is presently 19.44%.

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.