Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:GSBC) Announces Quarterly Dividend of $0.43

Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:GSBC) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 29th will be given a dividend of 0.43 per share by the financial services provider on Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 29th.

Great Southern Bancorp has decreased its dividend by an average of 0.1%per year over the last three years. Great Southern Bancorp has a payout ratio of 32.4% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Great Southern Bancorp to earn $5.33 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.72 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 32.3%.

Great Southern Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ GSBC traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $65.79. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,594 shares, compared to its average volume of 44,208. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $59.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $59.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93. Great Southern Bancorp has a 12-month low of $47.57 and a 12-month high of $66.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $736.13 million, a P/E ratio of 10.93 and a beta of 0.53.

Great Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:GSBC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.01. Great Southern Bancorp had a net margin of 19.80% and a return on equity of 11.28%. The company had revenue of $58.21 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $56.72 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that Great Southern Bancorp will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Great Southern Bancorp

In related news, VP Mark A. Maples sold 1,450 shares of Great Southern Bancorp stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.93, for a total value of $86,898.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP John M. Bugh sold 1,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.72, for a total transaction of $101,010.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $103,318.80. The trade was a 49.44% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 27.93% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Great Southern Bancorp in the 1st quarter valued at $1,171,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in Great Southern Bancorp by 9.7% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 228,461 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $12,650,000 after buying an additional 20,248 shares during the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC grew its position in Great Southern Bancorp by 69.2% in the 1st quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 106,190 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,880,000 after purchasing an additional 43,430 shares during the last quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC increased its position in Great Southern Bancorp by 24.6% in the 1st quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 4,987 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $276,000 after acquiring an additional 984 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Great Southern Bancorp by 8.3% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 14,466 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $801,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114 shares during the period. 41.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Great Southern Bancorp Company Profile

Great Southern Bancorp, Inc operates as a bank holding company for Great Southern Bank that provides a range of financial services in the United States. Its deposit products include regular savings accounts, checking accounts, money market accounts, fixed interest rate certificates with varying maturities, certificates of deposit, brokered certificates, and individual retirement accounts.