Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) Reaches New 1-Year High Following Analyst Upgrade

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Thursday after Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on the stock from $75.00 to $83.00. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods currently has a market perform rating on the stock. Southern Missouri Bancorp traded as high as $79.39 and last traded at $78.31, with a volume of 119134 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $78.85.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on SMBC. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $76.00 price target (up from $72.00) on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $83.00 price target (up from $79.00) on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Southern Missouri Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, July 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $80.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern Missouri Bancorp

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 18.2% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 25,786 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $1,649,000 after purchasing an additional 3,974 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 124.7% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 564 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 313 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 46,088 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $2,947,000 after purchasing an additional 1,492 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its position in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 57.8% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 12,326 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $788,000 after purchasing an additional 4,517 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its position in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 9.2% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 41,560 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $2,657,000 after purchasing an additional 3,503 shares in the last quarter. 49.49% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Trading Up 0.1%

The firm has a market capitalization of $852.75 million, a P/E ratio of 12.04 and a beta of 0.86. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $73.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $67.81. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The savings and loans company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $51.77 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $51.14 million. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a return on equity of 12.72% and a net margin of 22.63%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. will post 6.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. This is a boost from Southern Missouri Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. Southern Missouri Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 16.80%.

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.