Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) saw a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 182,096 shares, a growth of 42.6% from the February 26th total of 127,736 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 60,674 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.0 days. Approximately 1.9% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $68.00 price objective (up from $61.00) on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings raised Southern Missouri Bancorp from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $73.00 target price (up from $71.00) on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Southern Missouri Bancorp from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.33.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Charles R. Love sold 580 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.00, for a total transaction of $37,120.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 15,220 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $974,080. This trade represents a 3.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 15.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southern Missouri Bancorp

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 369 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Southern Missouri Bancorp during the third quarter valued at $66,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Southern Missouri Bancorp during the second quarter valued at $93,000. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp in the first quarter worth $94,000. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 140.8% in the third quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 1,946 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $102,000 after acquiring an additional 1,138 shares in the last quarter. 49.49% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Trading Down 1.1%

SMBC traded down $0.72 during trading on Friday, hitting $62.44. 42,041 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 59,700. The firm has a market capitalization of $693.71 million, a P/E ratio of 10.80 and a beta of 0.96. Southern Missouri Bancorp has a 12-month low of $45.10 and a 12-month high of $66.56. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $63.02 and a 200 day moving average of $58.46.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 6th. The savings and loans company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $49.65 million for the quarter. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a net margin of 20.80% and a return on equity of 11.92%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Southern Missouri Bancorp will post 5.06 EPS for the current year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Southern Missouri Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.30%.

About Southern Missouri Bancorp

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.