Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Has $3.14 Million Holdings in Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its stake in Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN - Free Report) by 13.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 25,556 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,052 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio owned about 0.12% of Hawkins worth $3,135,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in HWKN. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Hawkins by 155.4% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 355 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new position in Hawkins in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Hawkins by 262.3% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 442 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Hawkins by 37.0% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 948 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $116,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Defined Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in Hawkins in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $205,000. Institutional investors own 69.71% of the company's stock.

Hawkins Trading Down 0.6%

NASDAQ HWKN traded down $0.81 on Wednesday, hitting $132.09. The company's stock had a trading volume of 18,420 shares, compared to its average volume of 129,437. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 2.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. Hawkins, Inc. has a 1-year low of $83.88 and a 1-year high of $139.55. The company's 50-day moving average is $120.08 and its 200 day moving average is $118.05. The firm has a market cap of $2.75 billion, a PE ratio of 33.70, a PEG ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.85.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 14th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.04. Hawkins had a net margin of 8.60% and a return on equity of 18.95%. The company had revenue of $245.32 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $230.69 million. As a group, analysts predict that Hawkins, Inc. will post 4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hawkins Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. Hawkins's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.82%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on HWKN. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Hawkins from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 24th. CJS Securities began coverage on shares of Hawkins in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "market outperform" rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. Finally, BWS Financial restated a "buy" rating and issued a $160.00 price target on shares of Hawkins in a research report on Thursday, May 15th.

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.