Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) Rating Lowered to "Hold" at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN - Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday.

HWKN has been the topic of several other research reports. BWS Financial reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $160.00 price objective on shares of Hawkins in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. CJS Securities began coverage on Hawkins in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "market outperform" rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock.

Hawkins Trading Down 0.4%

HWKN stock traded down $0.56 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $133.46. 8,543 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 124,707. Hawkins has a 52-week low of $83.88 and a 52-week high of $139.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 2.50. The business has a 50 day moving average of $118.03 and a 200-day moving average of $117.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.87.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $245.32 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $230.69 million. Hawkins had a return on equity of 18.95% and a net margin of 8.60%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Hawkins will post 4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hawkins Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. Hawkins's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.82%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hawkins

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in Hawkins during the 1st quarter worth approximately $816,000. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its position in Hawkins by 8.4% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 39,511 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $4,185,000 after acquiring an additional 3,060 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC lifted 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 purchasing an additional 17,447 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in Hawkins by 9.1% during the first 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in Hawkins by 0.5% during the first quarter. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 36,047 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $3,818,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.71% of the company's stock.

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.