Hawkins’ (HWKN) Buy Rating Reaffirmed at BWS Financial

BWS Financial reissued their buy rating on shares of Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) in a report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. BWS Financial currently has a $200.00 target price on the specialty chemicals company’s stock.

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

Hawkins Stock Performance

HWKN stock opened at $139.74 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $144.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $156.45. The company has a current ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. Hawkins has a 12-month low of $98.30 and a 12-month high of $186.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.92 billion, a PE ratio of 35.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.86.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) last announced 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 17.16% 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, research analysts forecast that Hawkins will post 4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hawkins Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. Hawkins’s dividend payout ratio is 19.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hawkins

In related news, VP Drew M. Grahek acquired 1,587 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $126.34 per share, with a total value of $200,501.58. Following the purchase, the vice president directly owned 39,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,008,117.60. This trade represents a 4.17% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 4.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hawkins

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its position in shares of Hawkins by 50.1% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 5,417 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $770,000 after acquiring an additional 1,809 shares during the period. Inscription Capital LLC bought a new position in Hawkins in the fourth quarter worth approximately $234,000. UBS Group AG increased its holdings in Hawkins by 49.4% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 73,274 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $10,409,000 after purchasing an additional 24,224 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Hawkins by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,525,789 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $216,754,000 after purchasing an additional 20,958 shares in the last quarter. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG lifted its holdings in shares of Hawkins by 49.1% in the 4th quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG now owns 12,258 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,741,000 after buying an additional 4,036 shares during the period. 69.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Hawkins

Here are the key news stories impacting Hawkins this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BWS Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $200 price target on HWKN (about a 43% upside from current levels), which could support interest from growth-oriented investors. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Giverny Capital Asset Management added HWKN to its Q4 moves, indicating institutional buying interest that can provide demand support for the stock. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysis pieces highlight Hawkins’ acquisition runway as a potential compounding growth driver over time, a constructive longer-term thesis if management executes on M&A. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Hawkins declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.19 per share (payable Feb 27; ex-dividend Feb 13), signaling steady shareholder returns though the yield is modest (~0.5%). Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Company press release and slide deck published Q3 results and investor materials — useful for digging into segment-level performance and guidance but the market reaction will depend on interpretation. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Local coverage / earnings snapshot available for quick read on results and context. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Q3 results missed expectations: EPS $0.72 vs. consensus $0.75 and revenue $244.08M vs. $252.51M expected — the primary catalyst for the intraday sell-off. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Missed guidance/expectations and lower-than-forecast revenue can pressure sentiment and trigger volume-driven declines; today’s trading shows volume well above average as investors reacted. Read More.

Hawkins Company 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.