Nuveen LLC Takes Position in Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. $SMBC

Key Points

• Nuveen LLC has acquired a stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp, purchasing 24,960 shares valued at approximately $1.3 million, amounting to 0.21% of the company.
• The firm raised its quarterly dividend to $0.25 per share, up from $0.23, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 1.7%.
• Southern Missouri Bancorp reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $1.39 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' estimates of $1.23.

Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 24,960 shares of the savings and loans company's stock, valued at approximately $1,298,000. Nuveen LLC owned about 0.21% of Southern Missouri Bancorp at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 609,644 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $31,714,000 after buying an additional 12,358 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 397,765 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $22,820,000 after acquiring an additional 18,623 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 98,595 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $5,656,000 after acquiring an additional 4,722 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV bought a new position in Southern Missouri Bancorp in the 4th quarter worth about $5,228,000. Finally, ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC increased its stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC now owns 48,543 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $2,525,000 after acquiring an additional 1,067 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.49% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on SMBC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a report on Thursday, August 28th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $66.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Southern Missouri Bancorp currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $64.67.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of SMBC stock traded down $0.77 on Friday, hitting $57.36. 20,062 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 25,876. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. has a one year low of $45.10 and a one year high of $68.69. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $55.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $648.17 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.07 and a beta of 1.03.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The savings and loans company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $47.61 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $46.60 million. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a net margin of 19.17% and a return on equity of 11.35%. Equities analysts forecast that Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. will post 5.06 EPS for the current year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This is a boost from Southern Missouri Bancorp's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Southern Missouri Bancorp's payout ratio is 19.31%.

Insider Transactions at Southern Missouri Bancorp

In other Southern Missouri Bancorp news, Director William E. Young sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.30, for a total value of $563,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 94,987 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,347,768.10. This trade represents a 9.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 16.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.