Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWBK) Short Interest Up 107.8% in December

Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWBK - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large 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. Based on an average trading volume of 12,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.9 days. Approximately 0.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Hawthorn Bancshares from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 28th.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jonathan Holtaway sold 1,015 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at $12,577,629. The trade was a 0.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Frank E. Burkhead sold 3,000 shares of the 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 in the company, valued at $365,771.99. This trade represents a 20.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 9,457 shares of company stock worth $285,175 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 23.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Hawthorn Bancshares by 11.3% in 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 acquiring an additional 6,955 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hawthorn Bancshares by 36.5% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 25,043 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $496,000 after purchasing an additional 6,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hawthorn Bancshares by 5.2% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 27,169 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $680,000 after purchasing an additional 1,340 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 30.73% of the company's stock.

Hawthorn Bancshares Price Performance

NASDAQ:HWBK traded down $0.29 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $28.30. 2,215 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,897. The company has a market cap of $197.73 million, a P/E ratio of 31.44 and a beta of 0.56. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $29.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.57. Hawthorn Bancshares has a 52-week low of $17.86 and a 52-week high of $34.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00.

Hawthorn Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Investors of record on Sunday, December 15th will be paid a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. Hawthorn Bancshares's dividend payout ratio is currently 84.44%.

Hawthorn Bancshares Company Profile

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.