JPMorgan Chase & Co. Sells 20,725 Shares of Hawkins, Inc. $HWKN

JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut its holdings in Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN) by 17.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 101,291 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 20,725 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s holdings in Hawkins were worth $18,508,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in Hawkins in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. First Horizon Corp bought a new stake in Hawkins in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd grew its position in shares of Hawkins by 62.2% during the 3rd quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 300 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of Hawkins by 694.1% during the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 405 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 354 shares during the period. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in shares of Hawkins during the third quarter worth approximately $79,000. 69.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HWKN has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Hawkins from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Zacks Research upgraded Hawkins from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, BWS Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $200.00 price objective on shares of Hawkins in a report on Monday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Hawkins currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $162.50.

Hawkins Trading Up 3.1%

Shares of HWKN opened at $152.31 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 2.35. Hawkins, Inc. has a 52-week low of $101.72 and a 52-week high of $186.15. The firm has a market cap of $3.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.56, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.82. The business’s fifty day moving average is $145.02 and its 200-day moving average is $149.80.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.75 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $244.08 million for 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Hawkins, Inc. will post 4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hawkins Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Hawkins

In related news, Director James A. Faulconbridge purchased 1,500 shares of Hawkins stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $129.29 per share, for a total transaction of $193,935.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 50,907 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,581,766.03. This trade represents a 3.04% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 4.10% of the company’s stock.

Hawkins Company Profile

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.