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

Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWBK) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 10,600 shares, a growth of 107.8% from the November 30th total of 5,100 shares. Currently, 0.2% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 12,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.9 days.

Hawthorn Bancshares Price Performance

Hawthorn Bancshares stock traded down $0.29 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $28.30. The company had a trading volume of 2,215 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,897. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $29.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.66. The company has a market capitalization of $197.73 million, a P/E ratio of 31.44 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01. Hawthorn Bancshares has a 1 year low of $17.86 and a 1 year high of $34.00.

Hawthorn Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Sunday, December 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. Hawthorn Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 84.44%.

Insider Transactions at Hawthorn Bancshares

In other news, Director Frank E. Burkhead sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.87, for a total transaction of $95,610.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,477 shares in the company, valued at $365,771.99. The trade was a 20.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Jonathan Holtaway sold 5,053 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.57, for a total transaction of $144,364.21. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 402,460 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,498,282.20. The trade was a 1.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 9,457 shares of company stock worth $285,175. Company insiders own 23.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hawthorn Bancshares

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in Hawthorn Bancshares by 36.5% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 25,043 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $496,000 after acquiring an additional 6,700 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Hawthorn Bancshares by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 27,169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $680,000 after purchasing an additional 1,340 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Hawthorn Bancshares by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 68,657 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,719,000 after buying an additional 6,955 shares during the last quarter. 30.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com raised Hawthorn Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 28th.

About Hawthorn Bancshares

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.