Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) hit a new 52-week high on Friday . The stock traded as high as $78.73 and last traded at $78.4840, with a volume of 9046 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $77.72.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on SMBC shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $76.00 price objective (up from $72.00) on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $79.00 price objective (up from $71.00) on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $73.33.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Price Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $72.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $67.19. The company has a market cap of $855.17 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.07 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The savings and loans company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $51.77 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $51.14 million. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a return on equity of 12.72% and a net margin of 22.63%. As a group, research analysts expect that Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. will post 6.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This is a positive change from Southern Missouri Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. Southern Missouri Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southern Missouri Bancorp

In related news, EVP Richard Windes sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.70, for a total value of $139,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,375 shares in the company, valued at $374,637.50. This trade represents a 27.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 15.81% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Southern Missouri Bancorp

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SMBC. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 124.7% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 564 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 313 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 105.7% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 718 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 369 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp during the third quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp during the second quarter valued at approximately $93,000. Finally, Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $94,000. 49.49% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.