Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) Short Interest Update

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 48,400 shares, a decrease of 36.6% from the October 31st total of 76,400 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 33,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.4 days.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SMBC traded down $0.51 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $65.65. The company had a trading volume of 28,934 shares, compared to its average volume of 30,865. Southern Missouri Bancorp has a 12-month low of $39.00 and a 12-month high of $68.69. The company has a fifty day moving average of $60.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $52.57. The company has a market cap of $740.34 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.09 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98.

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). Southern Missouri Bancorp had a return on equity of 10.18% and a net margin of 17.44%. The company had revenue of $74.55 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $42.48 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that Southern Missouri Bancorp will post 4.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. Southern Missouri Bancorp’s payout ratio is 21.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Stephens increased their target price on Southern Missouri Bancorp from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th.

Insider Activity

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern Missouri Bancorp

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SMBC. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 48.2% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 104,175 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $6,105,000 after buying an additional 33,902 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 90.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 25,273 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $1,427,000 after acquiring an additional 11,996 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 1.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 217,753 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $12,304,000 after acquiring an additional 2,113 shares in the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management bought a new position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in the third quarter worth about $273,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 11.8% in the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 8,420 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $476,000 after acquiring an additional 889 shares during the period. 49.49% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Southern Missouri Bancorp

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.