Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWBK) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWBK) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in 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. Approximately 0.2% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 10,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.9 days.

Hawthorn Bancshares Price Performance

HWBK opened at $28.70 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $31.49 and a 200-day moving average of $28.36. The company has a market capitalization of $200.53 million, a P/E ratio of 11.00 and a beta of 0.59. Hawthorn Bancshares has a 1-year low of $17.86 and a 1-year high of $35.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.01.

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 net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 13.00%.

Hawthorn Bancshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Saturday, March 15th will be issued a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Hawthorn Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jonathan Holtaway sold 2,682 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.91, for a total value of $88,264.62. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 366,598 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,064,740.18. The trade was a 0.73 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders have sold 9,675 shares of company stock valued at $318,466 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 23.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HWBK. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hawthorn Bancshares by 44.1% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,059 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 324 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co boosted its holdings in shares of Hawthorn Bancshares by 42.6% in the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 7,368 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $209,000 after buying an additional 2,200 shares during the period. Citadel Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Hawthorn Bancshares during the 4th quarter valued at about $218,000. 683 Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Hawthorn Bancshares during the 4th quarter valued at about $320,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in Hawthorn Bancshares by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 14,834 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $421,000 after purchasing an additional 1,101 shares during the period. 30.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.