Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) Sets New 12-Month High – Here’s What Happened

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $79.78 and last traded at $79.33, with a volume of 79951 shares. The stock had previously closed at $78.78.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on SMBC. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $76.00 price target (up from $72.00) on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a report on Friday, April 24th. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $83.00 price objective (up from $79.00) on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a report on Monday, July 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp from $75.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Two research analysts have 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, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $80.67.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The company has a market cap of $874.22 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.34 and a beta of 0.86. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $74.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.13.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The savings and loans company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $51.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $51.14 million. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a return on equity of 12.72% and a net margin of 22.63%. As a group, analysts predict that Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. will post 6.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a $0.27 dividend. This is an increase from Southern Missouri Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Southern Missouri Bancorp’s payout ratio is presently 15.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Southern Missouri Bancorp news, EVP Richard Windes sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.70, for a total value of $139,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $374,637.50. This represents a 27.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 15.81% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southern Missouri Bancorp

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 124.7% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 564 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 105.7% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 718 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 369 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp in the second quarter valued at approximately $93,000. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new position in Southern Missouri Bancorp during the first quarter worth $94,000. 49.49% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Company Profile

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc (NASDAQ: SMBC) is a bank holding company headquartered in West Plains, Missouri, serving as the parent of Southern Bank. The company focuses on delivering community banking services to individual and commercial customers across southern Missouri and northern Arkansas. It operates branch offices in local markets and provides a comprehensive suite of deposit and lending products tailored to both urban and rural communities.

Through its subsidiary, Southern Bank, the company offers deposit products such as checking and savings accounts, money market accounts and certificates of deposit, alongside digital and mobile banking platforms.