Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) Earns Buy Rating from BWS Financial

Key Points

• BWS Financial reiterated its “buy” rating on Hawkins and set a $200 price target, implying 52.58% upside from the previous close.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: Hawkins has an average “hold” rating and a consensus price target of $171, with one Buy rating and three Holds.
• Hawkins shares traded at $131.08, while the company’s latest quarterly results included EPS of $1.35, below the $1.39 estimate, and revenue of $315.68 million, above expectations.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating restated by investment analysts at BWS Financial in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $200.00 price target on the specialty chemicals company's stock. BWS Financial's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 52.58% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on HWKN. Barclays set a $142.00 price target on shares of Hawkins and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Hawkins from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $171.00.

Hawkins Stock Performance

Shares of HWKN traded up $3.05 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $131.08. 48,343 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 165,700. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $148.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $149.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 2.27 and a quick ratio of 1.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.74 billion, a PE ratio of 34.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.78. Hawkins has a 52-week low of $117.98 and a 52-week high of $186.15.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.39 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $315.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $313.42 million. Hawkins had a return on equity of 15.42% and a net margin of 7.29%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Hawkins will post 4.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hawkins

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hawkins in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hawkins in the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new stake in Hawkins in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Simplex Trading LLC lifted its stake in Hawkins by 246.0% during the fourth quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 346 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the period. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in Hawkins during the 3rd quarter valued at about $79,000. 69.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.