SEB Asset Management AB Takes $758,000 Position in Hawkins, Inc. $HWKN

SEB Asset Management AB bought a new stake in shares of Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 4,937 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $758,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Hawkins in the 4th quarter worth $19,098,000. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Hawkins by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 552,419 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $78,477,000 after acquiring an additional 131,850 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 125,444 shares during the period. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in shares of Hawkins by 34.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 477,985 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $67,903,000 after acquiring an additional 122,366 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Hawkins by 11.6% in the fourth 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 during the period. Institutional investors own 69.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on HWKN shares. Barclays set a $170.00 target price on Hawkins and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Hawkins from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Hawkins currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $185.00.

Hawkins Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of Hawkins stock opened at $139.03 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.56, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.78. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $150.33 and a 200-day moving average price of $150.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Hawkins, Inc. has a twelve month low of $117.98 and a twelve month high of $186.15.

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

Hawkins Dividend Announcement

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

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.