Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) Reaches New 1-Year High Following Earnings Beat

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $63.84 and last traded at $63.3950, with a volume of 27077 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $60.57.

The savings and loans company reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.56 by $0.06. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a return on equity of 11.57% and a net margin of 19.86%.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. Southern Missouri Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on SMBC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Southern Missouri Bancorp from $61.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Piper Sandler set a $60.50 target price on Southern Missouri Bancorp and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $62.83.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southern Missouri Bancorp

In other news, Director William E. Young sold 1,500 shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.87, for a total value of $80,805.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 93,552 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,039,646.24. The trade was a 1.58% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 15.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Southern Missouri Bancorp

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SMBC. Private Trust Co. NA purchased a new stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp in the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp during the third quarter valued at about $66,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp during the second quarter valued at about $93,000. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $94,000. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 140.8% in the 3rd quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 1,946 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $102,000 after purchasing an additional 1,138 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.49% of the company’s stock.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Stock Up 5.2%

The company has a market capitalization of $713.66 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.67 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99. The business’s 50 day moving average is $59.05 and its 200 day moving average is $56.11.

About Southern Missouri Bancorp

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc (NASDAQ: SMBC) is a bank holding company headquartered in West Plains, Missouri, serving as the parent of Southern Bank. The company focuses on delivering community banking services to individual and commercial customers across southern Missouri and northern Arkansas. It operates branch offices in local markets and provides a comprehensive suite of deposit and lending products tailored to both urban and rural communities.

Through its subsidiary, Southern Bank, the company offers deposit products such as checking and savings accounts, money market accounts and certificates of deposit, alongside digital and mobile banking platforms.