Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) Reaches New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $130.44 and last traded at $130.29, with a volume of 94945 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $127.31.

Hawkins Stock Down 2.3 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $2.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.95, a PEG ratio of 4.14 and a beta of 0.74. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $121.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $98.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.27 and a quick ratio of 1.44.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.37. Hawkins had a net margin of 8.75% and a return on equity of 20.16%. The firm had revenue of $255.88 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $254.30 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Hawkins, Inc. will post 4.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Hawkins Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th were issued a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.56%. This is a boost from Hawkins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Hawkins’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.06%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hawkins

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Hawkins by 71.8% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 402 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Hawkins in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $100,000. USA Financial Formulas grew its position in Hawkins by 35.1% during the 3rd quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 885 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $113,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Hawkins by 36.9% in the first quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 2,342 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $180,000 after purchasing an additional 631 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hawkins in the first quarter worth $210,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.71% of the company’s stock.

Hawkins Company Profile

Hawkins, Inc operates as a specialty chemical and ingredients company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Industrial, Water Treatment, and Health and Nutrition. The Industrial segment offers industrial chemicals, products, and services to agriculture, chemical processing, electronics, energy, food, pharmaceutical, and plating industries.