Hawthorn Bancshares (NASDAQ:HWBK) Upgraded to “Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Hawthorn Bancshares (NASDAQ:HWBK) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Wednesday.

Hawthorn Bancshares Stock Performance

HWBK opened at $28.50 on Wednesday. Hawthorn Bancshares has a 52-week low of $17.86 and a 52-week high of $34.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $30.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $25.58. The company has a market cap of $199.22 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.67 and a beta of 0.58.

Hawthorn Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Sunday, December 15th were paid a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. Hawthorn Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is currently 84.44%.

Insider Activity at Hawthorn Bancshares

In other Hawthorn Bancshares news, Director Frank E. Burkhead sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.87, for a total transaction of $95,610.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,477 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $365,771.99. The trade was a 20.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Jonathan Holtaway sold 1,015 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.25, for a total value of $32,733.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 390,004 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,577,629. This trade represents a 0.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 9,457 shares of company stock valued at $285,175. Corporate insiders own 23.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hawthorn Bancshares

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Hawthorn Bancshares by 11.3% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 68,657 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,719,000 after purchasing an additional 6,955 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 1,340 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in shares of Hawthorn Bancshares by 36.5% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 25,043 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $496,000 after buying an additional 6,700 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 30.73% of the company’s stock.

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.