Short Interest in Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) Decreases By 16.9%

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 53,000 shares, a drop of 16.9% from the January 15th total of 63,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 35,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.5 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on SMBC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on Southern Missouri Bancorp from $70.00 to $68.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $76.00 target price on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised 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.

Insider Transactions at Southern Missouri Bancorp

In other news, Director Douglas Bagby sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.08, for a total value of $413,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 21,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,240,680. This trade represents a 25.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 16.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Southern Missouri Bancorp

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in the fourth quarter worth approximately $74,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in Southern Missouri Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth approximately $138,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD purchased a new position in Southern Missouri Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth approximately $220,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Southern Missouri Bancorp during the third quarter worth approximately $233,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position 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 buying an additional 2,722 shares in the last quarter. 49.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of SMBC opened at $60.08 on Friday. 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 12 month low of $39.00 and a 12 month high of $68.69. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $58.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.37. The firm has a market cap of $677.70 million, a P/E ratio of 13.12 and a beta of 0.99.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The savings and loans company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.07. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a return on equity of 10.56% and a net margin of 17.72%. Analysts predict that Southern Missouri Bancorp will post 5.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Southern Missouri Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.09%.

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.