Short Interest in Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) Expands By 35.1%

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 65,400 shares, an increase of 35.1% from the November 15th total of 48,400 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 32,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.0 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on SMBC. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Stephens raised their price objective on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Stock Down 1.8 %

SMBC traded down $1.13 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $63.44. 16,832 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 23,065. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $62.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $54.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $715.60 million, a PE ratio of 14.58 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. Southern Missouri Bancorp has a 1 year low of $39.00 and a 1 year high of $68.69.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) last issued its quarterly 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). The business had revenue of $74.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $42.48 million. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a net margin of 17.44% and a return on equity of 10.18%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Southern Missouri Bancorp will post 4.9 EPS for the current year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 29th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.45%. Southern Missouri Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southern Missouri Bancorp

In other news, Director William E. Young sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.90, for a total transaction of $179,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 48,649 shares in the company, valued at $2,914,075.10. This trade represents a 5.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 16.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern Missouri Bancorp

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp during the 2nd quarter valued at $210,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp during the third quarter valued at about $233,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 139.5% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,673 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $264,000 after purchasing an additional 2,722 shares during the period. Zacks Investment Management purchased a new position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in the third quarter worth about $273,000. Finally, Bailard Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in the second quarter valued at approximately $293,000. 49.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.