Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:GSBC) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:GSBC) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 250,020 shares, an increase of 19.9% from the January 15th total of 208,570 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 71,229 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.5 days. Approximately 3.1% of the company’s shares are short sold. Approximately 3.1% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 71,229 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.5 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on GSBC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Great Southern Bancorp from $61.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Great Southern Bancorp in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Great Southern Bancorp from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Great Southern Bancorp currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $60.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Great Southern Bancorp news, VP Mark A. Maples sold 1,450 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.93, for a total value of $86,898.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Joseph W. Turner sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.74, for a total transaction of $364,440.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 137,382 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,344,582.68. The trade was a 4.18% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 16,130 shares of company stock worth $972,274 in the last quarter. 27.93% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Great Southern Bancorp

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Great Southern Bancorp by 9.8% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 271,310 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $16,618,000 after purchasing an additional 24,131 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management increased its holdings in Great Southern Bancorp by 26.6% in the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 130,884 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,057,000 after buying an additional 27,487 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in Great Southern Bancorp by 1.5% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 51,169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,134,000 after acquiring an additional 736 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its stake in Great Southern Bancorp by 177.7% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 48,227 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,954,000 after acquiring an additional 30,863 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC grew its position in Great Southern Bancorp by 20.5% in the fourth quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 47,906 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,949,000 after acquiring an additional 8,149 shares in the last quarter. 41.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Great Southern Bancorp Stock Performance

NASDAQ GSBC opened at $63.78 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $63.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $61.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93. Great Southern Bancorp has a 1-year low of $47.57 and a 1-year high of $67.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $713.70 million, a P/E ratio of 10.29 and a beta of 0.52.

Great Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:GSBC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.07. Great Southern Bancorp had a net margin of 20.70% and a return on equity of 11.40%. The firm had revenue of $56.35 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.03 million. Equities analysts predict that Great Southern Bancorp will post 5.24 EPS for the current year.

Great Southern Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 13th. Investors of record on Monday, December 29th were paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 29th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Great Southern Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.74%.

Great Southern Bancorp Company Profile

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.