Great Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:GSBC) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.19 EPS

Great Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:GSBC) issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The financial services provider reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.19, Zacks reports. Great Southern Bancorp had a return on equity of 11.29% and a net margin of 21.33%.

Great Southern Bancorp Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of GSBC stock traded up $0.58 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $77.54. The stock had a trading volume of 124,327 shares, compared to its average volume of 85,199. Great Southern Bancorp has a 12-month low of $53.76 and a 12-month high of $82.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $73.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $67.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $844.41 million, a P/E ratio of 12.29 and a beta of 0.49.

Great Southern Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 29th were issued a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 29th. Great Southern Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Great Southern Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Zacks Research cut shares of Great Southern Bancorp from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Great Southern Bancorp from $63.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Great Southern Bancorp from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Great Southern Bancorp has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.00.

Insider Transactions at Great Southern Bancorp

In related news, VP Kevin L. Baker sold 2,800 shares of Great Southern Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.96, for a total value of $195,888.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 14 shares in the company, valued at $979.44. The trade was a 99.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Joseph W. Turner sold 6,000 shares of Great Southern Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.16, for a total value of $408,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 136,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,282,165.12. The trade was a 4.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 13,687 shares of company stock worth $938,407. Corporate insiders own 29.75% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Great Southern Bancorp

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Great Southern Bancorp by 8.3% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 14,466 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $801,000 after buying an additional 1,114 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in Great Southern Bancorp by 4.8% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 5,138 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $284,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Great Southern Bancorp by 68.5% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 13,641 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $755,000 after purchasing an additional 5,546 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in Great Southern Bancorp in the first quarter worth about $1,146,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in shares of Great Southern Bancorp by 1.9% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 13,580 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $798,000 after buying an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 41.66% of the company’s stock.

About Great Southern Bancorp

Great Southern Bancorp, Inc (NASDAQ: GSBC) is the bank holding company for Great Southern Bank, a full-service commercial bank headquartered in Springfield, Missouri. Through its subsidiary, the company provides a broad spectrum of financial products and services designed to meet the needs of individuals, small and mid-sized businesses, and professional clients across its regional footprint.

Great Southern Bank’s core business activities include deposit-taking, lending and treasury management.