Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWBK) Short Interest Up 41.7% in March

Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWBK - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 10,200 shares, a growth of 41.7% from the March 15th total of 7,200 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 14,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.7 days. Currently, 0.2% of the company's stock are sold short.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jonathan Holtaway sold 2,682 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.91, for a total transaction of $88,264.62. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 366,598 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,064,740.18. This trade represents a 0.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 23.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hawthorn Bancshares

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HWBK. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 6,955 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its holdings in Hawthorn Bancshares by 42.6% during the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 7,368 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $209,000 after acquiring an additional 2,200 shares during the period. Alexander Labrunerie & CO. Inc. raised its position in Hawthorn Bancshares by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Alexander Labrunerie & CO. Inc. now owns 15,214 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $431,000 after acquiring an additional 625 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 1,327 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in shares of Hawthorn Bancshares by 11.9% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 28,243 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $801,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. 30.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hawthorn Bancshares Stock Performance

NASDAQ HWBK traded up $0.32 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $29.98. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,606 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,938. Hawthorn Bancshares has a 52 week low of $17.86 and a 52 week high of $35.95. The stock has a market cap of $226.48 million, a PE ratio of 11.36 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $29.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $29.35.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Hawthorn Bancshares from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th.

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.