Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) Reaches New 52-Week High - Should You Buy?

Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $144.63 and last traded at $142.10, with a volume of 160749 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $143.95.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on HWKN. CJS Securities began coverage on shares of Hawkins in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "market outperform" rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. BWS Financial reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $160.00 target price on shares of Hawkins in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Hawkins from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 21st.

Hawkins Price Performance

The company's 50 day simple moving average is $129.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $118.58. The company has a current ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.01 billion, a PE ratio of 35.69, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.85.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN - Get Free Report) last announced 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. The business had revenue of $245.32 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $230.69 million. Hawkins had a net margin of 8.66% and a return on equity of 18.93%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Hawkins, Inc. will post 4 earnings per share for the current year.

Hawkins Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th were issued a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 30th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.50%. Hawkins's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.82%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hawkins

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HWKN. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in Hawkins during the 1st quarter worth approximately $816,000. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hawkins by 8.4% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 39,511 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $4,185,000 after purchasing an additional 3,060 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC raised its stake in Hawkins by 83.2% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 38,416 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $4,069,000 after acquiring an additional 17,447 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hawkins by 9.1% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 52,778 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $5,590,000 after purchasing an additional 4,400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in Hawkins by 0.5% in the first quarter. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 36,047 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $3,818,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. 69.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Hawkins

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.