Hawthorn Bancshares (NASDAQ:HWBK) Rating Lowered to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Hawthorn Bancshares (NASDAQ:HWBK) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Thursday.

Hawthorn Bancshares Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:HWBK opened at $32.30 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $30.67 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $26.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $225.78 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.38 and a beta of 0.58. Hawthorn Bancshares has a 52-week low of $17.86 and a 52-week high of $34.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.01.

Hawthorn Bancshares (NASDAQ:HWBK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Hawthorn Bancshares had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 13.00%.

Hawthorn Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.35%. Hawthorn Bancshares’s payout ratio is currently 29.12%.

Insider Activity at Hawthorn Bancshares

In other Hawthorn Bancshares news, Director Jonathan Holtaway sold 1,015 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.25, for a total transaction of $32,733.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 390,004 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,577,629. This represents a 0.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Frank E. Burkhead sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.87, for a total value of $95,610.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,477 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $365,771.99. This represents a 20.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,457 shares of company stock worth $285,175. 23.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hawthorn Bancshares

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HWBK. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 valued at $1,719,000 after buying an additional 6,955 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 1,340 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake 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 worth $496,000 after acquiring an additional 6,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CENTRAL TRUST Co boosted its holdings in Hawthorn Bancshares by 42.6% during the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 7,368 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $209,000 after acquiring an additional 2,200 shares during the period. 30.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.