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

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by equities researchers at BWS Financial in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $200.00 target price on the specialty chemicals company’s stock. BWS Financial‘s price target would indicate a potential upside of 30.00% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on HWKN. Zacks Research downgraded Hawkins from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Barclays set a $141.00 price objective on shares of Hawkins and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Hawkins from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, September 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $170.50.

Hawkins Price Performance

NASDAQ:HWKN traded up $18.41 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $153.85. 423,990 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 164,276. The business has a 50 day moving average of $126.44 and a 200 day moving average of $143.14. Hawkins has a 1-year low of $116.04 and a 1-year high of $174.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 2.27 and a quick ratio of 1.54. The company has a market capitalization of $3.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.74.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 26th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $313.82 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $302.70 million. Hawkins had a return on equity of 15.42% and a net margin of 7.29%. Research analysts forecast that Hawkins will post 4.07 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hawkins news, VP Douglas Lange purchased 910 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were bought at an average price of $118.75 per share, for a total transaction of $108,062.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the vice president owned 28,169 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,345,068.75. This trade represents a 3.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Jeffrey Oldenkamp acquired 1,290 shares of Hawkins stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $119.00 per share, for a total transaction of $153,510.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 104,223 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,402,537. The trade was a 1.25% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 3.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hawkins

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. acquired a new position in shares of Hawkins during the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. USA Financial Formulas bought a new position in Hawkins in the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. GK Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Hawkins in the third quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hawkins during the third quarter valued at about $77,000. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Hawkins by 842.0% during the third quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 650 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $82,000 after buying an additional 581 shares during the last quarter. 69.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hawkins News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Hawkins this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly earnings exceeded expectations: Hawkins reported fiscal Q2 EPS of $1.34, up from $1.08 a year earlier and above consensus estimates ranging from $1.19 to $1.22. Revenue rose 11.9% year over year to approximately $313.8 million, exceeding estimates near $302.7 million. Hawkins Beats Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Profitability and cash generation improved: Gross profit reached $76.6 million, operating profit was $41.9 million and net income increased to $27.8 million. Operating cash flow totaled $40.3 million, providing additional support for the company’s financial position. Hawkins Stock Rises on Q2 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend raised: Hawkins declared a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, a 5.3% increase from $0.19. The dividend is payable November 25 to shareholders of record November 11, reinforcing the company’s shareholder-return profile. Hawkins Declares Quarterly Cash Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support strengthened: BWS Financial reaffirmed its “buy” rating and set a $200 price target, implying substantial upside from the stock’s recent trading level. BWS Financial Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: At a market capitalization of roughly $3.2 billion and a P/E near 40, HWKN trades at a premium valuation, meaning continued earnings growth may be needed to sustain the recent advance.

About Hawkins

Hawkins, Inc (NASDAQ:HWKN) is a chemical manufacturer, blender and distributor serving customers across the United States. The company supplies a range of water treatment chemicals, industrial chemicals and specialty products to municipal, commercial and industrial users.

Its water treatment business provides chemicals and related solutions used in drinking water, wastewater and industrial water treatment applications. Hawkins also serves the industrial, health and nutrition, and specialty chemical markets, offering products such as chemical blends, custom formulations and other materials used in manufacturing, agriculture, food processing and pharmaceutical applications.

Founded in 1938, Hawkins is headquartered in Roseville, Minnesota, and operates through a network of manufacturing, blending, distribution and sales locations in the United States.