Hawkins, Inc. $HWKN Shares Bought by Capital World Investors

Key Points

• Capital World Investors boosted its stake in Hawkins by 618.8% in Q3 to 355,619 shares (about a 1.70% ownership) worth roughly $64.98 million, as institutional investors now own 69.71% of the company.
• Hawkins recently missed quarterly expectations—EPS $0.72 vs. $0.75 and revenue $244.08M vs. $252.51M—and the stock carries a consensus "Hold" rating with a $162.50 average price target (two Buys, three Holds).

Capital World Investors increased its holdings in shares of Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN - Free Report) by 618.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 355,619 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 306,143 shares during the period. Capital World Investors owned about 1.70% of Hawkins worth $64,979,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in Hawkins by 2.2% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 55,239 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $10,093,000 after acquiring an additional 1,182 shares during the period. Vestcor Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Hawkins in the third quarter valued at about $391,000. Swiss National Bank increased its stake in shares of Hawkins by 1.1% during the third quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 38,388 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $7,014,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in shares of Hawkins by 340.1% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,130 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $389,000 after purchasing an additional 1,646 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Hawkins by 15.2% during the 3rd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,596 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $474,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.71% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HWKN. BWS Financial restated a "buy" rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Hawkins in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings cut Hawkins from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Hawkins from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $162.50.

Hawkins Stock Performance

NASDAQ HWKN opened at $139.71 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $2.92 billion, a PE ratio of 35.37, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 2.35, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. Hawkins, Inc. has a twelve month low of $101.72 and a twelve month high of $186.15. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $146.88 and a 200-day simple moving average of $151.66.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.75 by ($0.03). Hawkins had a net margin of 7.75% and a return on equity of 16.85%. The company had revenue of $244.08 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $252.51 million. Equities analysts anticipate that Hawkins, Inc. will post 4 earnings per share for the current year.

Hawkins Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were given a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Hawkins's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.24%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director James A. Faulconbridge acquired 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $129.29 per share, for a total transaction of $193,935.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 50,907 shares in the company, valued at $6,581,766.03. The trade was a 3.04% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 4.10% of the company's stock.

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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