Short Interest in Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWBK) Declines By 31.0%

Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWBK) saw a significant drop in short interest during the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 59,731 shares, a drop of 31.0% from the January 29th total of 86,609 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 6,857 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 8.7 days. Approximately 1.1% of the shares of the company are short sold. Approximately 1.1% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 6,857 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 8.7 days.

Hawthorn Bancshares Stock Performance

HWBK stock traded down $1.52 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $32.99. The stock had a trading volume of 6,740 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,833. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $227.63 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.62 and a beta of 0.50. Hawthorn Bancshares has a 52 week low of $25.21 and a 52 week high of $36.49. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $33.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $32.43.

Hawthorn Bancshares (NASDAQ:HWBK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $17.59 million for the quarter. Hawthorn Bancshares had a net margin of 21.26% and a return on equity of 15.03%.

Hawthorn Bancshares Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Sunday, March 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is an increase from Hawthorn Bancshares’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. Hawthorn Bancshares’s payout ratio is currently 23.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HWBK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hawthorn Bancshares in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen cut Hawthorn Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Hawthorn Bancshares has an average rating of “Hold”.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hawthorn Bancshares

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its position in shares of Hawthorn Bancshares by 44.9% during the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 32,430 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,131,000 after acquiring an additional 10,055 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hawthorn Bancshares by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,747 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $482,000 after purchasing an additional 497 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Hawthorn Bancshares by 23.8% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 10,789 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $376,000 after acquiring an additional 2,073 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hawthorn Bancshares during the 4th quarter valued at $50,000. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Hawthorn Bancshares by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 78,650 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,758,000 after purchasing an additional 4,871 shares during the period. 30.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Hawthorn Bancshares

Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc is the bank holding company for Hawthorn Bank, a community-focused financial institution headquartered in Aurora, Missouri. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, the company provides a comprehensive range of banking and financial services to individuals, small businesses, agricultural enterprises and commercial clients across southwest Missouri and select markets in nearby states. Hawthorn Bank operates a network of full-service branches and digital banking platforms designed to meet the evolving needs of its customers.

The company’s core offerings include deposit products such as checking, savings and money market accounts, as well as consumer lending solutions comprising residential mortgages, home equity lines of credit, auto loans and personal loans.