Great Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:GSBC) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Great Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:GSBC) issued its earnings results on Wednesday. The financial services provider reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.07, Zacks reports. Great Southern Bancorp had a net margin of 19.80% and a return on equity of 11.28%.

Great Southern Bancorp Stock Up 6.3%

Shares of GSBC stock traded up $3.99 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $66.97. 86,033 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 51,049. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $749.39 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.12 and a beta of 0.52. Great Southern Bancorp has a twelve month low of $47.57 and a twelve month high of $66.97. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $61.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $60.74.

Great Southern Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 29th were given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 29th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Great Southern Bancorp’s payout ratio is 28.57%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP John M. Bugh sold 1,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.72, for a total transaction of $101,010.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 1,790 shares in the company, valued at $103,318.80. The trade was a 49.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Mark A. Maples sold 1,450 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.93, for a total transaction of $86,898.50. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 27.93% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Great Southern Bancorp

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Great Southern Bancorp by 4.8% during the 1st 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. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in 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 period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Great Southern Bancorp by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 10,857 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $665,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in Great Southern Bancorp by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 13,234 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $778,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Great Southern Bancorp by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 26,935 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,583,000 after purchasing an additional 458 shares during the last quarter. 41.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on GSBC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on Great Southern Bancorp from $63.00 to $61.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Zacks Research raised shares of Great Southern Bancorp from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Great Southern Bancorp in a report on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Great Southern Bancorp currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $59.50.

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.