Montanaro Asset Management Ltd Buys 6,800 Shares of Hawkins, Inc. $HWKN

Montanaro Asset Management Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN) by 11.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 65,900 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,800 shares during the quarter. Hawkins comprises 2.6% of Montanaro Asset Management Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Montanaro Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Hawkins were worth $9,362,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Capital World Investors lifted its position in shares of Hawkins by 618.8% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 355,619 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $64,979,000 after buying an additional 306,143 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hawkins in the 4th quarter worth approximately $19,098,000. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 131,850 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Hawkins by 44.4% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 407,793 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $74,512,000 after acquiring an additional 125,444 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Hawkins by 11.6% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,067,451 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $151,642,000 after acquiring an additional 111,318 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.71% of the company’s stock.

Hawkins Price Performance

Shares of HWKN stock opened at $162.10 on Friday. Hawkins, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $117.98 and a fifty-two week high of $186.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 2.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.46, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.76. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $158.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $150.15.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 13th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $265.91 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $255.28 million. Hawkins had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 16.08%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Hawkins, Inc. will post 4.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hawkins Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th were paid a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Hawkins’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on HWKN. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Hawkins from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. BWS Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price target on shares of Hawkins in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hawkins has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $200.00.

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.