Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) Sets New 12-Month High - Here's What Happened

Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $158.22 and last traded at $158.06, with a volume of 175175 shares. The stock had previously closed at $155.30.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BWS Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $160.00 target price on shares of Hawkins in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Hawkins from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 5th. Finally, CJS Securities assumed coverage on shares of Hawkins in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "market outperform" rating and a $125.00 target price for the company.

Hawkins Stock Up 0.2%

The stock has a market capitalization of $3.30 billion, a PE ratio of 39.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.85. The company's fifty day moving average price is $134.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $120.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.04. Hawkins had a net margin of 8.66% and a return on equity of 18.93%. The company had revenue of $245.32 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $230.69 million. Analysts forecast that Hawkins, Inc. will post 4 earnings per share for the current year.

Hawkins Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors 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 yield of 0.45%. Hawkins's payout ratio is currently 17.82%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hawkins

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. raised its stake in Hawkins by 31.5% during the 1st quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 599,015 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $63,448,000 after buying an additional 143,425 shares during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. raised its stake in Hawkins by 37.6% during the 1st quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 350,722 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $37,148,000 after buying an additional 95,885 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP purchased a new stake in Hawkins during the 4th quarter valued at $42,466,000. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in Hawkins by 16.1% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 235,096 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $28,839,000 after buying an additional 32,670 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GW&K Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Hawkins by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 220,327 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $23,337,000 after buying an additional 6,832 shares during the last quarter. 69.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.