Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) Upgraded by Barclays to Hold Rating

Barclays upgraded shares of Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) to a hold rating in a research report report published on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on HWKN. BWS Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of Hawkins in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Hawkins from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $185.00.

Hawkins Stock Up 0.5%

HWKN stock opened at $142.10 on Tuesday. Hawkins has a 1-year low of $117.98 and a 1-year high of $186.15. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $159.88 and a 200-day moving average price of $151.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 2.21 and a quick ratio of 1.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.76.

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

Hawkins Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hawkins during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC bought a new position in shares of Hawkins in the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hawkins in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Simplex Trading LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hawkins by 246.0% in the fourth quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 346 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new stake in Hawkins during the third quarter valued at approximately $79,000. 69.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.