Hawthorn Bancshares (NASDAQ:HWBK – Get Rating) and Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ) (OTCMKTS:SVNLY – Get Rating) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, risk, dividends, profitability, institutional ownership and valuation.

Risk & Volatility

Hawthorn Bancshares has a beta of 0.43, suggesting that its stock price is 57% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ) has a beta of 0.82, suggesting that its stock price is 18% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Dividends

Hawthorn Bancshares pays an annual dividend of $0.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.8%. Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ) pays an annual dividend of $0.19 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.7%. Hawthorn Bancshares pays out 22.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ) pays out 34.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Hawthorn Bancshares has increased its dividend for 11 consecutive years.

Profitability

This table compares Hawthorn Bancshares and Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ)'s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for Hawthorn Bancshares and Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ), as reported by MarketBeat.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Hawthorn Bancshares and Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ)'s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ) has higher revenue and earnings than Hawthorn Bancshares. Hawthorn Bancshares is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ), indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

32.9% of Hawthorn Bancshares shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.2% of Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ) shares are held by institutional investors. 12.3% of Hawthorn Bancshares shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ) beats Hawthorn Bancshares on 8 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Hawthorn Bancshares

(Get Rating)

Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc. operates as a bank holding company, which provides banking services to individual and corporate customers through its subsidiary, Hawthorn Bank. It offers checking and savings accounts, internet banking, debit cards, certificates of deposit, brokerage services, personal loans, installment loans, trust services, credit related insurance, and safe deposit boxes. The company was founded on October 23, 1992 and is headquartered in Jefferson City, MO.

About Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ)

(Get Rating)

Svenska Handelsbanken AB engages in the provision of financial and banking services. It operates through the following segments: Sweden, United Kingdom, Denmark, Finland, Norway, The Netherlands, Capital Markets, and Others. The Capital Markets segment refers to the investment bank, including securities trading, and investment advisory services. The company was founded in 1871 and is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.

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