Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research has downgraded Hawkins Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN) from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating, reflecting a shift in analyst sentiment.
• Hawkins reported $1.40 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $1.33, with a revenue of $293.27 million, surpassing expectations of $278.76 million.
• The stock currently has a consensus price target of $162.50 and is rated as a "Moderate Buy" by analysts, with mixed ratings from different investment firms.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Zacks Research from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Raymond James Financial began coverage on Hawkins in a report on Thursday, July 24th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. BWS Financial increased their price objective on Hawkins from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Hawkins from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $162.50.

Hawkins Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ HWKN opened at $171.37 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a current ratio of 2.31. Hawkins has a fifty-two week low of $98.30 and a fifty-two week high of $185.50. The stock has a market cap of $3.58 billion, a PE ratio of 42.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.86. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $169.05 and a 200-day moving average of $140.58.

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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Hawkins will post 4 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hawkins

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HWKN. Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hawkins in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,754,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hawkins by 11.2% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 48,378 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $5,935,000 after acquiring an additional 4,861 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its stake in shares of Hawkins by 13.6% in the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 25,556 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $3,135,000 after acquiring an additional 3,052 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hawkins by 12,653.7% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 56,244 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $59,570,000 after acquiring an additional 55,803 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Contravisory Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hawkins in the 1st quarter valued at about $237,000. 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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