Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 68,800 shares, an increase of 40.7% from the December 15th total of 48,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 32,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Stock Performance

SMBC traded down $0.13 on Thursday, hitting $55.73. 38,149 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 34,875. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $61.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $56.76. Southern Missouri Bancorp has a twelve month low of $39.00 and a twelve month high of $68.69. The firm has a market cap of $628.63 million, a PE ratio of 12.81 and a beta of 0.99.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The savings and loans company reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $74.55 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $42.48 million. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a return on equity of 10.18% and a net margin of 17.44%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Southern Missouri Bancorp will post 4.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.65%. Southern Missouri Bancorp’s payout ratio is 21.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southern Missouri Bancorp

In related news, Director William E. Young sold 3,000 shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.90, for a total value of $179,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 48,649 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,914,075.10. The trade was a 5.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 16.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of SMBC. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in Southern Missouri Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at about $210,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp during the third quarter valued at approximately $233,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 139.5% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,673 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $264,000 after purchasing an additional 2,722 shares in the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management bought a new stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp during the third quarter worth approximately $273,000. Finally, Triune Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Southern Missouri Bancorp during the 3rd quarter valued at $328,000. 49.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on SMBC. Stephens increased their price target on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Southern Missouri Bancorp from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Company Profile

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Southern Bank that provides banking and financial services to individuals and corporate customers in the United States. The company offers deposits products, including interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing transaction accounts, saving accounts, certificates of deposit, retirement savings plans, and money market deposit accounts.