StockNews.com Upgrades Hawthorn Bancshares (NASDAQ:HWBK) to “Buy”

Hawthorn Bancshares (NASDAQ:HWBK) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday.

Hawthorn Bancshares Stock Performance

HWBK stock traded up $0.15 on Wednesday, hitting $28.50. The company had a trading volume of 3,136 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,715. The stock has a market cap of $199.13 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.67 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $30.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $25.58. Hawthorn Bancshares has a 12-month low of $17.86 and a 12-month high of $34.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Frank E. Burkhead sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.87, for a total transaction of $95,610.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,477 shares in the company, valued at approximately $365,771.99. The trade was a 20.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jonathan Holtaway sold 5,053 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.57, for a total transaction of $144,364.21. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 402,460 shares in the company, valued at $11,498,282.20. The trade was a 1.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 9,457 shares of company stock valued at $285,175. Insiders own 23.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hawthorn Bancshares

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Hawthorn Bancshares by 11.3% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 68,657 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,719,000 after purchasing an additional 6,955 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Hawthorn Bancshares by 5.2% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 27,169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $680,000 after buying an additional 1,340 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in Hawthorn Bancshares by 36.5% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 25,043 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $496,000 after buying an additional 6,700 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 30.73% of the company’s stock.

Hawthorn Bancshares Company Profile

Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Hawthorn Bank that provides various banking services in the United States. It accepts checking, savings, money market, individual retirement, and other time deposit accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company also offers commercial and industrial, single payment personal, installment, commercial and residential real estate, and consumer loans, as well as equipment, operating, and small business administration loans; and debit and credit cards.