Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWBK) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWBK) was the target of a large decline in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 7,100 shares, a decline of 24.5% from the February 13th total of 9,400 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 11,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.6 days.

Hawthorn Bancshares Stock Down 2.3 %

Hawthorn Bancshares stock traded down $0.65 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $27.96. The company had a trading volume of 9,160 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,347. The firm has a market capitalization of $195.36 million, a P/E ratio of 10.71 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 firm’s fifty day moving average is $31.16 and its 200-day moving average is $28.73. Hawthorn Bancshares has a fifty-two week low of $17.86 and a fifty-two week high of $35.95.

Hawthorn Bancshares (NASDAQ:HWBK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.66 earnings per share 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Saturday, March 15th will be given a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Hawthorn Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is 29.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jonathan Holtaway sold 2,682 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.91, for a total transaction of $88,264.62. Following the sale, the director now owns 366,598 shares in the company, valued at $12,064,740.18. The trade was a 0.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 23.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hawthorn Bancshares

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HWBK. Barclays PLC grew its position in Hawthorn Bancshares by 44.1% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,059 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 324 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its position in Hawthorn Bancshares by 42.6% in the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 7,368 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $209,000 after acquiring an additional 2,200 shares in the last quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Hawthorn Bancshares in the fourth quarter worth approximately $218,000. 683 Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Hawthorn Bancshares in the fourth quarter worth approximately $320,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Hawthorn Bancshares by 8.0% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 14,834 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $421,000 after acquiring an additional 1,101 shares in the last quarter. 30.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Hawthorn Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a 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.