191,502 Shares in Hawkins, Inc. $HWKN Acquired by William Blair Investment Management LLC

William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 191,502 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,212,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned 0.92% of Hawkins at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HWKN. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Hawkins by 9.0% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 12,331 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,306,000 after buying an additional 1,017 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Hawkins by 4.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 11,499 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,218,000 after buying an additional 494 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of Hawkins by 9.1% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 52,778 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $5,590,000 after acquiring an additional 4,400 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Hawkins by 83.2% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 38,416 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $4,069,000 after acquiring an additional 17,447 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Hawkins by 50.3% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 282,349 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $40,122,000 after acquiring an additional 94,503 shares in the last quarter. 69.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hawkins Price Performance

Hawkins stock opened at $118.99 on Friday. Hawkins, Inc. has a 52-week low of $117.98 and a 52-week high of $186.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 2.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $140.27 and its 200 day moving average is $147.56. The company has a market cap of $2.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.83, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.79.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $315.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $313.42 million. Hawkins had a return on equity of 15.42% and a net margin of 7.29%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Hawkins, Inc. will post 4.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hawkins Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Hawkins’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.73%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Hawkins from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. BWS Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Hawkins in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Zacks Research lowered Hawkins from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Barclays set a $142.00 price objective on Hawkins and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $171.00.

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.