Hawthorn Bancshares (NASDAQ:HWBK) Lowered to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Hawthorn Bancshares (NASDAQ:HWBK) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Monday morning.

Hawthorn Bancshares Price Performance

Shares of HWBK opened at $28.81 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $217.66 million, a P/E ratio of 11.04 and a beta of 0.59. The business’s fifty day moving average is $31.02 and its 200 day moving average is $28.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. Hawthorn Bancshares has a 12-month low of $17.86 and a 12-month high of $35.95.

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

Hawthorn Bancshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Saturday, March 15th will be paid a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Hawthorn Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.12%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jonathan Holtaway sold 6,604 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.97, for a total transaction of $217,733.88. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 370,119 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,202,823.43. This represents a 1.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 23.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hawthorn Bancshares

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted 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 purchasing an additional 6,955 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Hawthorn Bancshares by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 28,496 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $808,000 after buying an additional 1,327 shares during the last quarter. Alexander Labrunerie & CO. Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hawthorn Bancshares by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Alexander Labrunerie & CO. Inc. now owns 15,214 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $431,000 after buying an additional 625 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co boosted its stake in shares of Hawthorn Bancshares by 42.6% in the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 7,368 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $209,000 after buying an additional 2,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Citadel Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Hawthorn Bancshares in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $218,000. 30.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.