Hawkins, Inc. $HWKN Stock Position Raised by Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Hawkins, Inc. by 145.6%, acquiring an additional 6,678 shares to reach a total of 11,263 shares, valued at approximately $1.19 million.
• Hawkins' quarterly earnings exceeded expectations, reporting $1.40 EPS against a consensus estimate of $1.33, along with a revenue of $293.27 million, surpassing the estimate of $278.76 million.
• The firm declared a quarterly dividend of $0.19 per share, which marks an increase from the previous dividend of $0.18, indicating a commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN - Free Report) by 145.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,263 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 6,678 shares during the quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC owned 0.05% of Hawkins worth $1,193,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its stake in shares of Hawkins by 533.3% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 266 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its position in Hawkins by 118.8% during the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 280 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Hawkins during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Hawkins during the first quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. purchased a new stake in Hawkins during the first quarter worth $52,000. 69.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hawkins Stock Performance

Shares of Hawkins stock traded down $2.49 on Friday, reaching $167.33. 95,760 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 183,241. Hawkins, Inc. has a 1-year low of $98.30 and a 1-year high of $185.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a current ratio of 2.31. The firm has a market cap of $3.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.81. The company's 50-day moving average is $161.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $132.83.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.07. Hawkins had a return on equity of 18.35% and a net margin of 8.37%.The firm had revenue of $293.27 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $278.76 million. As a group, research analysts expect that Hawkins, Inc. will post 4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hawkins Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th were paid a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. This is an increase from Hawkins's previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. Hawkins's dividend payout ratio is 18.72%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on HWKN shares. Zacks Research upgraded Hawkins to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. BWS Financial upped their price target on Hawkins from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered Hawkins from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 5th. Finally, Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Hawkins in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. They set a "market perform" rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hawkins presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $162.50.

Hawkins Company Profile

Hawkins, Inc operates as a specialty chemical and ingredients company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Industrial, Water Treatment, and Health and Nutrition. The Industrial segment offers industrial chemicals, products, and services to agriculture, chemical processing, electronics, energy, food, pharmaceutical, and plating industries.