Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) Downgraded by Zacks Research to “Strong Sell”

Zacks Research cut shares of Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on the stock. BWS Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price target on shares of Hawkins in a report on Monday. Weiss Ratings downgraded Hawkins from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Barclays set a $142.00 price target on Hawkins and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $171.00.

Hawkins Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of HWKN stock opened at $135.29 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a current ratio of 2.27, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Hawkins has a twelve month low of $117.98 and a twelve month high of $186.15. The business’s 50 day moving average is $147.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $149.48.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $315.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $313.42 million. Hawkins had a net margin of 7.29% and a return on equity of 15.42%. Equities analysts forecast that Hawkins will post 4.04 EPS for the current year.

Hawkins Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Hawkins’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.73%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hawkins in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hawkins during the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in Hawkins during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Simplex Trading LLC boosted its position in Hawkins by 246.0% during the 4th quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 346 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the period. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new stake in Hawkins in the 3rd quarter valued at $79,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.71% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Hawkins

Here are the key news stories impacting Hawkins this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sidoti raised its Q2 2027 EPS estimate to $1.26 from $1.25, and increased its Q1 2028 forecast to $1.57 from $1.55. The firm also lifted its Q2 2028 estimate to $1.48 from $1.45.
• Neutral Sentiment: Sidoti currently projects FY2027 EPS of $4.20 and FY2028 EPS of $5.00. These forecasts provide a benchmark for future performance, but the estimates remain subject to changes in specialty-chemical demand, pricing and operating costs.
• Negative Sentiment: Sidoti cut its FY2027 EPS estimate to $4.20 from $4.45 and reduced its FY2028 forecast to $5.00 from $5.35. The firm also lowered estimates for Q3 2027 to $0.76 from $0.90, Q4 2027 to $0.82 from $0.95, Q3 2028 to $0.93 from $1.10 and Q4 2028 to $1.02 from $1.25.
• Negative Sentiment: The revisions follow Hawkins’ latest quarterly report, in which EPS of $1.35 missed the $1.39 consensus estimate, although revenue exceeded expectations. With the stock trading below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages and carrying a relatively elevated P/E ratio near 35, downward earnings revisions could limit enthusiasm despite the modest positive quarterly changes.

Hawkins Company 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.