Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Raises Position in Hawkins, Inc. $HWKN

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. grew its stake in Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN) by 7.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 383,427 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,495 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings in Hawkins were worth $54,470,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of HWKN. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Hawkins by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,504,831 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $274,963,000 after buying an additional 41,652 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Hawkins by 10.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 420,569 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $76,846,000 after acquiring an additional 41,184 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Hawkins by 44.4% in 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 in the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in shares of Hawkins by 618.8% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 355,619 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $64,979,000 after purchasing an additional 306,143 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of Hawkins by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 152,659 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $21,687,000 after purchasing an additional 14,947 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.71% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director James A. Faulconbridge acquired 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $129.29 per share, with a total value of $193,935.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 50,907 shares in the company, valued at $6,581,766.03. The trade was a 3.04% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 4.10% of the company’s stock.

Hawkins Price Performance

HWKN opened at $151.62 on Tuesday. Hawkins, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $101.72 and a fifty-two week high of $186.15. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $144.97 and a 200 day moving average of $149.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 2.35. The firm has a market cap of $3.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.38, a PEG ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.82.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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. On average, research analysts expect that Hawkins, Inc. will post 4 EPS for the current year.

Hawkins Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Hawkins’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BWS Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price target on shares of Hawkins in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Zacks Research raised shares of Hawkins from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Hawkins from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $162.50.

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.