Short Interest in Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) Expands By 55.1%

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 82,200 shares, an increase of 55.1% from the January 31st total of 53,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 32,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.5 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Southern Missouri Bancorp from $70.00 to $68.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $76.00 price objective on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Stock Down 0.8 %

Southern Missouri Bancorp stock opened at $57.81 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $651.92 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.62 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $57.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $59.00. Southern Missouri Bancorp has a 1-year low of $39.00 and a 1-year high of $68.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The savings and loans company reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.07. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a net margin of 17.72% and a return on equity of 10.45%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Southern Missouri Bancorp will post 5.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.59%. Southern Missouri Bancorp’s payout ratio is 20.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southern Missouri Bancorp

In other Southern Missouri Bancorp news, Director Douglas Bagby sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.08, for a total value of $413,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 21,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,240,680. This trade represents a 25.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 16.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southern Missouri Bancorp

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SMBC. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 147.9% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 89,957 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $5,082,000 after acquiring an additional 53,670 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 90.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 25,273 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $1,427,000 after purchasing an additional 11,996 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 249.1% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 25,080 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $1,417,000 after purchasing an additional 17,895 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 42.4% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 8,071 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $455,000 after purchasing an additional 2,404 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 217,753 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $12,304,000 after buying an additional 2,113 shares during the last quarter. 49.49% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Southern Missouri Bancorp

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.