Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) Short Interest Update

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) was the target of a significant 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 trading volume of 32,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.1 days.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Price Performance

SMBC stock traded up $0.58 during trading on Friday, hitting $56.31. The company had a trading volume of 13,325 shares, compared to its average volume of 32,544. The business has a 50 day moving average of $61.62 and a 200 day moving average of $56.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $635.18 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.94 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. Southern Missouri Bancorp has a fifty-two week low of $39.00 and a fifty-two week high of $68.69.

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

Southern Missouri Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. Southern Missouri Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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. Insiders own 16.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern Missouri Bancorp

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SMBC. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp during the third quarter valued at $3,690,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 147.9% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 89,957 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $5,082,000 after buying an additional 53,670 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 48.2% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 104,175 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $6,105,000 after buying an additional 33,902 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 23.2% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 145,412 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $6,545,000 after acquiring an additional 27,388 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 103.4% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 36,889 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $2,084,000 after acquiring an additional 18,756 shares during the period. 49.49% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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