Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWBK) Short Interest Update

Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWBK) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 7,400 shares, a drop of 8.6% from the January 15th total of 8,100 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 11,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.6 days.

Hawthorn Bancshares Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ HWBK opened at $34.70 on Tuesday. Hawthorn Bancshares has a 52-week low of $17.86 and a 52-week high of $35.95. The business’s 50 day moving average is $31.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.49. The firm has a market cap of $242.55 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.30 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00.

Hawthorn Bancshares (NASDAQ:HWBK) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Hawthorn Bancshares had a return on equity of 13.00% and a net margin of 16.65%.

Hawthorn Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Saturday, March 15th will be issued a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Hawthorn Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Frank E. Burkhead sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.87, for a total transaction of $95,610.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,477 shares in the company, valued at approximately $365,771.99. This represents a 20.72 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jonathan Holtaway sold 6,604 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.97, for a total value of $217,733.88. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 370,119 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,202,823.43. The trade was a 1.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,690 shares of company stock worth $446,810. Insiders own 23.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hawthorn Bancshares

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HWBK. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Hawthorn Bancshares by 11.3% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 68,657 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,719,000 after acquiring an additional 6,955 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings 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 valued at $680,000 after purchasing an additional 1,340 shares during the period. Alexander Labrunerie & CO. Inc. grew its stake in Hawthorn Bancshares by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Alexander Labrunerie & CO. Inc. now owns 15,214 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $431,000 after purchasing an additional 625 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co increased its holdings in Hawthorn Bancshares by 42.6% during the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 7,368 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $209,000 after purchasing an additional 2,200 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC raised its position in Hawthorn Bancshares by 29.3% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 25,881 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $734,000 after purchasing an additional 5,870 shares in the last quarter. 30.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Hawthorn Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st.

About Hawthorn Bancshares

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.