Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN) Short Interest Down 5.9% in July

Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN - Get Free Report) saw a significant decrease in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 552,700 shares, a decrease of 5.9% from the July 15th total of 587,600 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 129,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.3 days. Approximately 2.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, BWS Financial increased their price target on shares of Hawkins from $74.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th.

Hawkins Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of HWKN stock traded down $0.38 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $117.91. 132,996 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 132,934. The stock has a market cap of $2.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.84, a P/E/G ratio of 5.51 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.27 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The stock's fifty day moving average is $101.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $84.76. Hawkins has a 52-week low of $53.64 and a 52-week high of $123.82.

Hawkins Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th will be given a $0.18 dividend. This is a positive change from Hawkins's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.61%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. Hawkins's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.06%.

Insider Activity at Hawkins

In other news, Director James A. Faulconbridge acquired 1,800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $87.56 per share, for a total transaction of $157,608.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 40,517 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,547,668.52. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, Director James A. Faulconbridge purchased 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $86.47 per share, for a total transaction of $172,940.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 44,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,806,149.99. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director James A. Faulconbridge bought 1,800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $87.56 per share, for a total transaction of $157,608.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 40,517 shares in the company, valued at $3,547,668.52. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have acquired a total of 5,100 shares of company stock valued at $442,998 over the last 90 days. 3.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hawkins

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. AJOVista LLC acquired a new position in Hawkins in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in Hawkins in the 4th quarter worth approximately $77,000. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in Hawkins in the 4th quarter worth approximately $108,000. AXS Investments LLC acquired a new position in Hawkins in the 4th quarter worth approximately $179,000. Finally, Shell Asset Management Co. increased its holdings in Hawkins by 36.9% in the 1st quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 2,342 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $180,000 after buying an additional 631 shares during the period. 69.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.