Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN) Short Interest Down 18.6% in February

Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN) saw a significant decrease in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 1,296,296 shares, a decrease of 18.6% from the February 12th total of 1,593,423 shares. Approximately 6.5% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 89,845 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 14.4 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 89,845 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 14.4 days. Approximately 6.5% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HWKN shares. BWS Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price target on shares of Hawkins in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings cut Hawkins from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Hawkins from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $162.50.

Insider Transactions at Hawkins

In related news, Director James A. Faulconbridge acquired 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $129.29 per share, with a total value of $193,935.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 50,907 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,581,766.03. The trade was a 3.04% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 4.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hawkins

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in Hawkins by 618.8% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 355,619 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $64,979,000 after purchasing an additional 306,143 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Hawkins during the 4th quarter valued at about $19,098,000. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its stake in Hawkins by 31.4% in the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 552,419 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $78,477,000 after purchasing an additional 131,850 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Hawkins by 44.4% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 407,793 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $74,512,000 after purchasing an additional 125,444 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its position in Hawkins by 11.6% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,067,451 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $151,642,000 after buying an additional 111,318 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 69.71% of the company’s stock.

Hawkins Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ HWKN traded up $3.74 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $143.62. 199,442 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 117,847. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $146.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $150.97. Hawkins has a 12-month low of $101.72 and a 12-month high of $186.15. The company has a current ratio of 2.35, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The company has a market cap of $3.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.36, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.82.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $244.08 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $252.51 million. Hawkins had a return on equity of 16.85% and a net margin of 7.75%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Hawkins will post 4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hawkins Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. Hawkins’s payout ratio is presently 19.24%.

About Hawkins

Hawkins, Inc (NASDAQ: HWKN) is a specialty chemical company that produces and distributes water-treatment and industrial chemicals across North America. Founded in 1938 and headquartered in Roseville, Minnesota, the company has built a network of manufacturing facilities and distribution centers that serve municipal, industrial and commercial customers. As a publicly traded entity, Hawkins leverages its long-standing presence in the chemical distribution industry to provide tailored solutions for complex water-treatment challenges and specialty chemical needs.

Hawkins’ product portfolio encompasses a wide range of chemicals, including sodium hypochlorite, sodium hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide, chlorine, acids and specialty blends.