Hawkins’ (HWKN) “Buy” Rating Reaffirmed at BWS Financial

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN)‘s stock had its “buy” rating restated by equities research analysts at BWS Financial in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $200.00 price target on the specialty chemicals company’s stock. BWS Financial‘s price target indicates a potential upside of 31.06% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on HWKN. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Hawkins from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Barclays set a $141.00 price objective on shares of Hawkins and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Hawkins from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hawkins currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $170.50.

Hawkins Price Performance

NASDAQ HWKN traded down $1.25 on Tuesday, reaching $152.60. 46,418 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 163,619. Hawkins has a one year low of $116.04 and a one year high of $174.12. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $126.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $143.17.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) last released its earnings results on Monday, October 26th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $313.82 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $302.70 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Hawkins will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Trading of Hawkins

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its position in Hawkins by 6.1% in the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 5,783 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $729,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. BOKF NA increased its position in shares of Hawkins by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. BOKF NA now owns 1,835 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $231,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Gibbs Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Hawkins by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Gibbs Wealth Management now owns 3,158 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $398,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Hawkins by 842.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 650 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $82,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Hawkins by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 5,032 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $634,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. 69.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Hawkins

Here are the key news stories impacting Hawkins this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong earnings and revenue beat: Hawkins reported fiscal Q2 EPS of $1.34, above estimates of $1.19, while revenue reached $313.8 million versus the $302.7 million consensus. EPS rose from $1.08 a year earlier, supported by higher gross profit, operating income and net income. Hawkins fiscal second-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Resilient performance: Coverage characterized Hawkins as resistant to the downturn affecting the broader chemicals industry. Operating cash flow was approximately $40.3 million, suggesting the earnings improvement was accompanied by solid cash generation. Why Hawkins stock outperformed
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and technical momentum: BWS Financial reaffirmed its buy rating and set a $200 price target, implying substantial upside from the cited $153.85 level. The stock also moved above its 200-day moving average, currently around $143.17, a potentially bullish technical signal. Hawkins stock moves above its 200-day moving average
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend raised: Hawkins increased its quarterly dividend 5.3% to $0.20 per share, payable November 25, for an annualized payout of $0.80. The increase reinforces the company’s shareholder-return profile, although the indicated yield is approximately 0.5%. Hawkins dividend announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation is a concern: One analysis concluded that HWKN appears fully priced based on its current cash-flow outlook. After the post-earnings advance, investors may demand continued earnings growth to justify the stock’s valuation and approach the $200 price target. Hawkins valuation analysis

Hawkins Company Profile

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.