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

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 65,400 shares, a growth of 35.1% from the November 15th total of 48,400 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 32,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.0 days.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of SMBC stock traded down $1.13 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $63.44. 16,832 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 23,065. 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 market capitalization of $715.60 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.58 and a beta of 0.97. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $62.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $54.32. Southern Missouri Bancorp has a 52-week low of $39.00 and a 52-week high of $68.69.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The savings and loans company reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.11 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $74.55 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $42.48 million. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a net margin of 17.44% and a return on equity of 10.18%. Research analysts predict that Southern Missouri Bancorp will post 4.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were given a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.45%. Southern Missouri Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Southern Missouri Bancorp news, Director William E. Young sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,914,075.10. This trade represents a 5.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 16.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Southern Missouri Bancorp

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in Southern Missouri Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $210,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in the third quarter valued at $233,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 139.5% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,673 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $264,000 after purchasing an additional 2,722 shares during the period. Zacks Investment Management purchased a new stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth about $273,000. Finally, Bailard Inc. bought a new position in Southern Missouri Bancorp in the 2nd quarter worth about $293,000. Institutional investors own 49.49% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SMBC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Stephens boosted their target price on Southern Missouri Bancorp from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Southern Missouri Bancorp from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note 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.