Clayton Financial Group LLC Invests $16.58 Million in Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. $SMBC

Key Points

• Clayton Financial Group bought 280,424 shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ: SMBC) in Q4 — about $16.58 million — now owning a 2.5% stake and making SMBC its third-largest holding (≈8.5% of Clayton's portfolio).
• Company fundamentals: SMBC trades near $66 with a market cap of $732.7M and a P/E of 11.41; it reported $1.61 EPS last quarter, analysts project ~5.06 EPS for the year, and the firm pays a $0.25 quarterly dividend (1.5% yield).
• Analyst/ownership backdrop: Institutional investors own ~49.5% of the stock, several firms recently added to positions, and the consensus rating is a "Moderate Buy" with a $68.33 price target after a handful of upgrades/price-target increases.

Clayton Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 280,424 shares of the savings and loans company's stock, valued at approximately $16,579,000. Southern Missouri Bancorp makes up approximately 8.5% of Clayton Financial Group LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Clayton Financial Group LLC owned 2.50% of Southern Missouri Bancorp as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 432,463 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $22,731,000 after acquiring an additional 4,037 shares in the last quarter. FJ Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. FJ Capital Management LLC now owns 300,944 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $15,818,000 after acquiring an additional 18,002 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 10.3% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 275,411 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $14,476,000 after acquiring an additional 25,751 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 86.5% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 100,724 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $5,294,000 after acquiring an additional 46,730 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG raised its position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 8.5% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 70,315 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $3,696,000 after acquiring an additional 5,526 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 49.49% of the company's stock.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Stock Up 1.3%

SMBC stock opened at $65.95 on Wednesday. Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. has a twelve month low of $45.76 and a twelve month high of $66.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market cap of $732.70 million, a PE ratio of 11.41 and a beta of 0.92. The business has a 50 day moving average of $63.42 and a 200 day moving average of $58.93.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 6th. The savings and loans company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a return on equity of 11.92% and a net margin of 20.80%.The company had revenue of $49.65 million during the quarter. On average, research analysts forecast that Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. will post 5.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. Southern Missouri Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Southern Missouri Bancorp news, Director Charles R. Love sold 580 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.00, for a total transaction of $37,120.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 15,220 shares in the company, valued at approximately $974,080. This trade represents a 3.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 15.81% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on SMBC shares. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $73.00 target price (up from $71.00) on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $68.00 price objective (up from $61.00) on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings raised Southern Missouri Bancorp from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Southern Missouri Bancorp from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $68.33.

Southern Missouri Bancorp 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.

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