Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) Given “Buy” Rating at BWS Financial

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

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

Hawkins Stock Up 4.8%

Shares of HWKN traded up $6.32 on Monday, reaching $138.60. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 72,237 shares, compared to its average volume of 158,893. Hawkins has a twelve month low of $101.72 and a twelve month high of $186.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.90 billion, a PE ratio of 35.18, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 2.35, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $145.46 and a 200-day moving average of $150.12.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) last released 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). The company had revenue of $244.08 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $252.51 million. Hawkins had a net margin of 7.75% and a return on equity of 16.85%. Equities analysts predict that Hawkins will post 4 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Hawkins

In other Hawkins news, Director James A. Faulconbridge acquired 1,500 shares of Hawkins stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $129.29 per share, for a total transaction of $193,935.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 50,907 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,581,766.03. This trade represents a 3.04% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 4.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hawkins

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HWKN. Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new stake in Hawkins during the fourth quarter worth about $221,000. Montanaro Asset Management Ltd boosted its stake in Hawkins by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. Montanaro Asset Management Ltd now owns 65,900 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $9,362,000 after acquiring an additional 6,800 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in Hawkins by 18.4% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,072 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $294,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. grew its position in shares of Hawkins by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 31,198 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $4,432,000 after acquiring an additional 2,650 shares during the period. Finally, Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hawkins during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,212,000. 69.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.