Hawkins’ (HWKN) Buy Rating Reiterated at BWS Financial

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by analysts at BWS Financial in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $200.00 price objective on the specialty chemicals company’s stock. BWS Financial’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 44.30% from the company’s current price.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded Hawkins from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Zacks Research upgraded Hawkins from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $162.50.

Hawkins Trading Up 4.8%

NASDAQ:HWKN traded up $6.32 on Monday, reaching $138.60. 72,237 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 158,893. The company has a current ratio of 2.35, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. Hawkins has a 1-year low of $101.72 and a 1-year high of $186.15. The company’s 50 day moving average is $145.46 and its 200-day moving average is $150.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.82.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.72 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $244.08 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $252.51 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Hawkins will post 4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Trading of Hawkins

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new position in Hawkins in the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hawkins during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. First Horizon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Hawkins during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of Hawkins in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Simplex Trading LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hawkins by 246.0% in the 4th quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 346 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. 69.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.