Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Lowers Stock Holdings in Hawkins, Inc. $HWKN

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors reduced its Hawkins stake by 2.3% in the first quarter, selling 12,168 shares and retaining 513,779 shares valued at approximately $78.9 million. Institutional investors collectively own about 69.7% of the company.
• Hawkins shares opened at $129.22, down 6.8%, after the company reported quarterly EPS of $1.35, missing the $1.39 consensus estimate, despite revenue of $315.7 million exceeding expectations.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.19 per share, representing a 0.6% yield, while analysts maintained a generally cautious outlook: one Buy rating and three Holds, with an average price target of $185.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lowered its position in Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN - Free Report) by 2.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 513,779 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 12,168 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 2.46% of Hawkins worth $78,915,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. William Blair Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Hawkins during the fourth quarter valued at about $19,098,000. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Hawkins by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 552,419 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $78,477,000 after acquiring an additional 131,850 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Hawkins by 44.4% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 407,793 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $74,512,000 after acquiring an additional 125,444 shares during the period. Capital World Investors grew its position in shares of Hawkins by 34.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 477,985 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $67,903,000 after purchasing an additional 122,366 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Hawkins by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,067,451 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $151,642,000 after purchasing an additional 111,318 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.71% of the company's stock.

Hawkins Stock Down 6.8%

HWKN opened at $129.22 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.70 billion, a PE ratio of 33.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.78. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $149.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $150.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Hawkins, Inc. has a 52 week low of $117.98 and a 52 week high of $186.15.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.39 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $315.68 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $313.42 million. Hawkins had a return on equity of 15.63% and a net margin of 7.29%. Analysts forecast that Hawkins, Inc. will post 4.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hawkins Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Hawkins's payout ratio is presently 19.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HWKN has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays set a $170.00 target price on Hawkins and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Hawkins from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $185.00.

Trending Headlines about Hawkins

Here are the key news stories impacting Hawkins this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue rose 8% year over year to a record $315.7 million, exceeding analysts’ $313.4 million estimate. Water Treatment sales increased 6%, Food and Health Sciences grew 9%, and Industrial Solutions advanced 10%. Operating cash flow and free cash flow also improved. Hawkins fiscal 2027 first-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Hawkins announced a 5% increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.20 per share, payable August 28 to shareholders of record August 14. The increase signals continued confidence in cash generation, although the resulting annualized yield remains modest at roughly 0.5%. Hawkins dividend increase
• Positive Sentiment: The company repurchased $7 million of stock during the quarter and acquired Aqua-Chem, a water-treatment products distributor serving primarily Nebraska and Iowa. Recent disclosed insider activity also showed purchases rather than sales.
• Neutral Sentiment: Hawkins’ balance sheet remains relatively solid, with a current ratio of 2.21 and debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. However, the stock’s valuation remains elevated at approximately 33 times earnings, leaving less room for disappointment.
• Negative Sentiment: Adjusted earnings were $1.35 per diluted share, below estimates ranging from $1.39 to $1.41 and down from $1.40 a year earlier. Net income fell 3% to $28.3 million, while gross profit increased only 2%, suggesting margin pressure despite the sales growth. Hawkins earnings miss

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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