Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) Rating Lowered to "Strong Sell" at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research downgraded Hawkins from “Hold” to “Strong Sell,” while the broader analyst consensus remains “Hold” with an average price target of $171.
• Hawkins reported quarterly EPS of $1.35, missing the $1.39 consensus estimate, though revenue of $315.68 million exceeded expectations. Analysts now anticipate full-year EPS of $4.04.
• The stock opened at $135.29, below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, and trades at a relatively high P/E ratio of 35.05; hedge funds and other institutions own 69.71% of shares.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

HWKN has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Barclays set a $142.00 target price on Hawkins and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings downgraded Hawkins from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, BWS Financial reissued a "buy" rating and set a $200.00 price target on shares of Hawkins in a research report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $171.00.

Hawkins Stock Up 1.2%

HWKN stock opened at $135.29 on Tuesday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $2.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.79. Hawkins has a 52-week low of $117.98 and a 52-week high of $186.15. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $147.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $149.48.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.39 by ($0.04). Hawkins had a return on equity of 15.42% and a net margin of 7.29%.The firm had revenue of $315.68 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $313.42 million. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Hawkins will post 4.04 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Hawkins

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HWKN. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Hawkins in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hawkins during the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hawkins in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Simplex Trading LLC grew its stake in shares of Hawkins by 246.0% in the 4th quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 346 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in Hawkins in the third quarter worth approximately $79,000. 69.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Hawkins News

Here are the key news stories impacting Hawkins this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sidoti raised its Q2 2027 EPS estimate to $1.26 from $1.25, and increased its Q1 2028 forecast to $1.57 from $1.55. The firm also lifted its Q2 2028 estimate to $1.48 from $1.45.
• Neutral Sentiment: Sidoti currently projects FY2027 EPS of $4.20 and FY2028 EPS of $5.00. These forecasts provide a benchmark for future performance, but the estimates remain subject to changes in specialty-chemical demand, pricing and operating costs.
• Negative Sentiment: Sidoti cut its FY2027 EPS estimate to $4.20 from $4.45 and reduced its FY2028 forecast to $5.00 from $5.35. The firm also lowered estimates for Q3 2027 to $0.76 from $0.90, Q4 2027 to $0.82 from $0.95, Q3 2028 to $0.93 from $1.10 and Q4 2028 to $1.02 from $1.25.
• Negative Sentiment: The revisions follow Hawkins’ latest quarterly report, in which EPS of $1.35 missed the $1.39 consensus estimate, although revenue exceeded expectations. With the stock trading below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages and carrying a relatively elevated P/E ratio near 35, downward earnings revisions could limit enthusiasm despite the modest positive quarterly changes.

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.

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