NorthRock Partners LLC Trims Stock Position in Hawkins, Inc. $HWKN

NorthRock Partners LLC lessened its stake in Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN) by 34.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 27,129 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 14,415 shares during the quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC’s holdings in Hawkins were worth $4,957,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HWKN. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in Hawkins during the third quarter worth about $27,000. First Horizon Corp purchased a new position in Hawkins during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd lifted its holdings in Hawkins by 62.2% in the third quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 300 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in Hawkins by 694.1% in the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 405 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 354 shares during the period. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. boosted its position in Hawkins by 492.0% in the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 592 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $106,000 after purchasing an additional 492 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.71% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Transactions at Hawkins

In related news, Director James A. Faulconbridge acquired 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $129.29 per share, with a total value of $193,935.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 4.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hawkins Stock Up 0.1%

Hawkins stock opened at $139.88 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 2.35 and a quick ratio of 1.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.92 billion, a PE ratio of 35.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.82. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $146.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $151.45. Hawkins, Inc. has a 12 month low of $101.72 and a 12 month high of $186.15.

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

Hawkins Announces Dividend

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

Hawkins 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.