Hsbc Holdings PLC Reduces Stake in Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN)

Hsbc Holdings PLC lessened its stake in shares of Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN) by 10.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,871 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 338 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Hawkins were worth $352,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wasatch Advisors LP purchased a new stake in Hawkins in the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,466,000. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Hawkins by 487.7% in the fourth quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 254,837 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $31,260,000 after buying an additional 211,472 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Hawkins by 61.9% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 149,616 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $18,353,000 after buying an additional 57,179 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Hawkins during the fourth quarter worth about $13,087,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Hawkins by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 99,420 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $12,196,000 after acquiring an additional 3,436 shares during the last quarter. 69.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hawkins Price Performance

HWKN opened at $119.39 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.50, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.46, a PEG ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.87. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $112.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $117.04. Hawkins, Inc. has a 12-month low of $71.98 and a 12-month high of $139.55.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on HWKN. CJS Securities began coverage on shares of Hawkins in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “market outperform” rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. BWS Financial raised shares of Hawkins from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $160.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th.

About Hawkins

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.