Short Interest in Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWBK) Increases By 27.0%

Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWBK) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 9,400 shares, a growth of 27.0% from the January 31st total of 7,400 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 10,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.9 days. Currently, 0.2% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hawthorn Bancshares news, Director Jonathan Holtaway sold 1,015 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.25, for a total transaction of $32,733.75. Following the transaction, the director now owns 390,004 shares in the company, valued at $12,577,629. This trade represents a 0.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders sold 10,690 shares of company stock worth $351,200 over the last three months. Insiders own 23.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hawthorn Bancshares

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HWBK. Susquehanna International Group LLP boosted its stake in Hawthorn Bancshares by 163.3% in the fourth quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP now owns 81,309 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,305,000 after buying an additional 50,429 shares in the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hawthorn Bancshares by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 73,532 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,085,000 after acquiring an additional 477 shares during the last quarter. Rhino Investment Partners Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Hawthorn Bancshares in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,046,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hawthorn Bancshares by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 68,657 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,719,000 after purchasing an additional 6,955 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hawthorn Bancshares by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 28,496 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $808,000 after purchasing an additional 1,327 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 30.73% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Hawthorn Bancshares Price Performance

NASDAQ:HWBK traded down $1.28 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $28.70. 10,841 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,391. The company has a market capitalization of $200.53 million, a P/E ratio of 11.00 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The business has a 50 day moving average of $31.49 and a 200 day moving average of $28.36. Hawthorn Bancshares has a 1-year low of $17.86 and a 1-year high of $35.95.

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

Hawthorn Bancshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders 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 2.65%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Hawthorn Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.12%.

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.