Great Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:GSBC) Hits New 52-Week High Following Earnings Beat

Shares of Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:GSBC) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as high as $66.86 and last traded at $66.5850, with a volume of 52189 shares. The stock had previously closed at $62.98.

The financial services provider reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $56.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.03 million. Great Southern Bancorp had a return on equity of 11.28% and a net margin of 19.80%.

Great Southern Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 29th were issued a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 29th. Great Southern Bancorp’s payout ratio is presently 28.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of Great Southern Bancorp from $63.00 to $61.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Zacks Research raised Great Southern Bancorp from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Great Southern Bancorp in a report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $59.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Great Southern Bancorp news, VP Mark A. Maples sold 1,450 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.93, for a total value of $86,898.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP John M. Bugh sold 1,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.72, for a total value of $101,010.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $103,318.80. The trade was a 49.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 27.93% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Great Southern Bancorp

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Great Southern Bancorp by 9.8% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 271,310 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $16,618,000 after purchasing an additional 24,131 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in Great Southern Bancorp by 1.5% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 51,169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,134,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its holdings in Great Southern Bancorp by 177.7% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 48,227 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,954,000 after purchasing an additional 30,863 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning lifted its position in Great Southern Bancorp by 20.6% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 42,281 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,590,000 after buying an additional 7,208 shares during the period. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Great Southern Bancorp by 121.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 39,757 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,435,000 after buying an additional 21,806 shares in the last quarter. 41.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Great Southern Bancorp Trading Up 6.3%

The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $62.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $60.78. The stock has a market cap of $749.39 million, a P/E ratio of 11.12 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Great Southern Bancorp Company Profile

Great Southern Bancorp, Inc (NASDAQ: GSBC) is the bank holding company for Great Southern Bank, a full-service commercial bank headquartered in Springfield, Missouri. Through its subsidiary, the company provides a broad spectrum of financial products and services designed to meet the needs of individuals, small and mid-sized businesses, and professional clients across its regional footprint.

Great Southern Bank’s core business activities include deposit-taking, lending and treasury management.