Insider Buying: Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) VP Purchases $108,062.50 in Stock

Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN) VP Douglas Lange acquired 910 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $118.75 per share, for a total transaction of $108,062.50. Following the acquisition, the vice president directly owned 28,169 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,345,068.75. The trade was a 3.34% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Hawkins Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:HWKN opened at $120.35 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a current ratio of 2.27. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $136.09 and its 200-day moving average is $147.19. The company has a market cap of $2.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.79. Hawkins, Inc. has a 52-week low of $116.04 and a 52-week high of $186.15.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.39 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $315.68 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $313.42 million. Hawkins had a net margin of 7.29% and a return on equity of 15.42%. Equities research analysts predict that Hawkins, Inc. will post 4.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Hawkins Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th were issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. Hawkins’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.73%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hawkins

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Hawkins by 14,584.4% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 3,294,304 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $468,121,000 after purchasing an additional 3,271,870 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Hawkins during the second quarter valued at approximately $449,055,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Hawkins by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,525,789 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $216,754,000 after buying an additional 20,958 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position 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 valued at $151,642,000 after buying an additional 111,318 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Hawkins by 31.4% during the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 552,419 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $78,477,000 after acquiring an additional 131,850 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HWKN has been the topic of several research reports. BWS Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price target on shares of Hawkins in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Hawkins from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Barclays set a $142.00 target price on shares of Hawkins and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Hawkins from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $171.00.

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.