11,266 Shares in Hawkins, Inc. $HWKN Bought by Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio

Key Points

• Ohio’s public employees’ retirement system acquired 11,266 Hawkins shares worth approximately $1.6 million, while institutional investors collectively own 69.71% of the company.
• Hawkins reported quarterly revenue of $315.68 million, slightly above estimates, but earnings of $1.35 per share missed consensus by $0.04. The stock opened at $129.13, well below its 52-week high of $186.15.
• The company paid a quarterly dividend of $0.19 per share, equal to an annualized $0.76 dividend and a 0.6% yield. Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with an average “Hold” rating and a consensus price target of $171.

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 11,266 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $1,601,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio owned about 0.05% of Hawkins at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of HWKN. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hawkins during the 2nd quarter worth about $449,055,000. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Hawkins by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,067,451 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $151,642,000 after buying an additional 111,318 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Hawkins by 31.4% in the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 552,419 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $78,477,000 after buying an additional 131,850 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Hawkins by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 513,535 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $72,965,000 after buying an additional 13,828 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors increased its holdings in Hawkins by 34.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 477,985 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $67,903,000 after buying an additional 122,366 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.71% of the company's stock.

Hawkins Stock Performance

HWKN opened at $129.13 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a current ratio of 2.27. The company has a market cap of $2.70 billion, a PE ratio of 33.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.77. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $132.08 and a 200-day moving average of $146.42. Hawkins, Inc. has a 52-week low of $116.04 and a 52-week high of $186.15.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.39 by ($0.04). Hawkins had a net margin of 7.29% and a return on equity of 15.42%. The company had revenue of $315.68 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $313.42 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Hawkins, Inc. will post 4.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hawkins Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th were issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. Hawkins's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Douglas A. Lange acquired 910 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $118.75 per share, with a total value of $108,062.50. Following the acquisition, the vice president owned 28,169 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,345,068.75. This represents a 3.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Jeffrey P. Oldenkamp bought 1,290 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $119.00 per share, for a total transaction of $153,510.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 104,223 shares in the company, valued at $12,402,537. The trade was a 1.25% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 3.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on HWKN. BWS Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Hawkins in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Barclays set a $142.00 target price on shares of Hawkins and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Hawkins from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Hawkins from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $171.00.

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.

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