Hawkins (HWKN) Competitors

Westlake (NYSE:WLK) and Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) are both basic materials companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, earnings, media sentiment, valuation, analyst recommendations, risk and institutional ownership.

Is WLK or HWKN a better dividend stock?

Westlake pays an annual dividend of $2.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.6%. Hawkins pays an annual dividend of $0.76 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.4%. Westlake pays out -400.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Hawkins pays out 18.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Westlake has raised its dividend for 21 consecutive years and Hawkins has raised its dividend for 20 consecutive years. Westlake is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Does the media refer more to WLK or HWKN?

In the previous week, Westlake had 1 more articles in the media than Hawkins. MarketBeat recorded 14 mentions for Westlake and 13 mentions for Hawkins. Hawkins' average media sentiment score of 0.70 beat Westlake's score of 0.04 indicating that Hawkins is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Westlake	3 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	4 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Hawkins	7 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has higher earnings & valuation, WLK or HWKN?

Westlake has higher revenue and earnings than Hawkins. Westlake is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Hawkins, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Westlake	$12.14B	0.87	$602M	-$0.53	-155.48
Hawkins	$974.43M	3.92	$84.35M	$4.06	45.04

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in WLK or HWKN?

28.4% of Westlake shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 69.7% of Hawkins shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.3% of Westlake shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 4.1% of Hawkins shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Which has more risk & volatility, WLK or HWKN?

Westlake has a beta of 0.93, meaning that its stock price is 7% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Hawkins has a beta of 0.84, meaning that its stock price is 16% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts prefer WLK or HWKN?

Westlake presently has a consensus target price of $91.93, suggesting a potential upside of 11.56%. Hawkins has a consensus target price of $162.50, suggesting a potential downside of 11.14%. Given Westlake's higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Westlake is more favorable than Hawkins.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Westlake	1 Sell rating(s)	6 Hold rating(s)	8 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.56
Hawkins	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.60

Is WLK or HWKN more profitable?

Hawkins has a net margin of 8.37% compared to Westlake's net margin of -0.57%. Hawkins' return on equity of 18.35% beat Westlake's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Westlake	-0.57%	1.26%	0.66%
Hawkins	8.37%	18.35%	10.73%

Summary

Westlake and Hawkins tied by winning 10 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.