Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWBK) Short Interest Up 9.6% in March

Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWBK) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 135,800 shares, a growth of 9.6% from the March 15th total of 123,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 18,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 7.5 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Hawthorn Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd.

Insider Activity at Hawthorn Bancshares

In other news, Director Jonathan L. States acquired 1,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $21.57 per share, with a total value of $25,884.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $70,210.35. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director Jonathan Holtaway purchased 5,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $19.12 per share, with a total value of $105,160.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 15,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $296,360. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jonathan L. States purchased 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $21.57 per share, for a total transaction of $25,884.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,255 shares in the company, valued at $70,210.35. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have bought 20,400 shares of company stock valued at $426,846. 12.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hawthorn Bancshares

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in Hawthorn Bancshares by 13,475.0% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,629 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 1,617 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised its stake in Hawthorn Bancshares by 174.6% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,032 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 1,292 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in Hawthorn Bancshares by 1,356.4% during the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,874 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 3,608 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in Hawthorn Bancshares by 188.4% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,180 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $156,000 after acquiring an additional 4,690 shares during the period. Finally, CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its stake in Hawthorn Bancshares by 99.2% during the 3rd quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 10,017 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $163,000 after acquiring an additional 4,988 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 30.73% of the company’s stock.

Hawthorn Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HWBK traded up $0.28 during trading on Monday, hitting $21.20. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 7,200 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,269. The company has a 50-day moving average of $21.31 and a 200-day moving average of $21.25. Hawthorn Bancshares has a 12 month low of $15.02 and a 12 month high of $26.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market cap of $148.82 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 161.17 and a beta of 0.46.

Hawthorn Bancshares (NASDAQ:HWBK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported ($1.05) earnings per share for the quarter. Hawthorn Bancshares had a return on equity of 0.75% and a net margin of 0.96%. The business had revenue of $18.00 million during the quarter.

Hawthorn Bancshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. Hawthorn Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 516.95%.

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.