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

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

Institutional Trading of Hawthorn Bancshares

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Hawthorn Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HWBK traded down $1.52 on Friday, reaching $32.99. 6,740 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,833. The business’s 50-day moving average is $33.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $32.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. Hawthorn Bancshares has a fifty-two week low of $25.21 and a fifty-two week high of $36.49. 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 (NASDAQ:HWBK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Hawthorn Bancshares had a return on equity of 15.03% and a net margin of 21.26%.The business had revenue of $17.59 million for the quarter.

Hawthorn Bancshares Increases Dividend

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

Hawthorn Bancshares Company Profile

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.