Short Interest in Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) Increases By 40.7%

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 68,800 shares, a growth of 40.7% from the December 15th total of 48,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 32,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.1 days.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Stock Performance

Southern Missouri Bancorp stock traded up $0.58 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $56.31. The stock had a trading volume of 13,325 shares, compared to its average volume of 32,544. The company has a 50-day moving average of $61.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $56.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. Southern Missouri Bancorp has a fifty-two week low of $39.00 and a fifty-two week high of $68.69. The company has a market cap of $635.18 million, a PE ratio of 12.94 and a beta of 0.99.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The savings and loans company reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by ($0.01). Southern Missouri Bancorp had a net margin of 17.44% and a return on equity of 10.18%. The firm had revenue of $74.55 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $42.48 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Southern Missouri Bancorp will post 4.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 29th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. Southern Missouri Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on SMBC shares. Stephens boosted their price target on Southern Missouri Bancorp from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Southern Missouri Bancorp from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director William E. Young sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.90, for a total transaction of $179,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 48,649 shares in the company, valued at $2,914,075.10. The trade was a 5.81 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 16.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SMBC. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in the 3rd quarter valued at $3,690,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 147.9% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 89,957 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $5,082,000 after buying an additional 53,670 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 48.2% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 104,175 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $6,105,000 after acquiring an additional 33,902 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 23.2% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 145,412 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $6,545,000 after acquiring an additional 27,388 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 103.4% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 36,889 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $2,084,000 after purchasing an additional 18,756 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 49.49% of the company’s stock.

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.