Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) Sets New 52-Week High - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN) reached a new 52-week high of $172.04 during trading, closing at $169.45, with a trading volume of 3,575 shares.
• Analysts have mixed views on the stock, with BWS Financial raising its price target to $200 and a downgrade to a "hold" rating from Wall Street Zen.
• The company announced an increase in its quarterly dividend from $0.18 to $0.19 per share, reflecting a commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $172.04 and last traded at $169.45, with a volume of 3575 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $170.57.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on HWKN. Raymond James Financial began coverage on Hawkins in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Hawkins from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 5th.

Hawkins Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.31, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock has a market cap of $3.61 billion, a PE ratio of 42.50, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.81. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $148.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $125.76.

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

Hawkins Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.19 per share. This is a positive change from Hawkins's previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Hawkins's dividend payout ratio is 18.72%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hawkins

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. bought a new stake in Hawkins during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its stake in Hawkins by 533.3% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 266 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Hawkins during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its stake 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Hawkins in the first quarter worth about $42,000. Institutional investors own 69.71% of the company's stock.

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.

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