Commerce Bank Makes New $1.69 Million Investment in Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. $SMBC

Key Points

• Commerce Bank invested approximately $1.69 million in Southern Missouri Bancorp during the second quarter, joining other institutional investors that increased their positions. Institutional investors now own 49.49% of the company.
• Southern Missouri Bancorp reported quarterly earnings of $1.83 per share, exceeding analyst expectations of $1.52, while revenue of $51.77 million also topped estimates. The company raised its quarterly dividend from $0.25 to $0.27 per share.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $83.67; shares recently opened at $74.01. An executive also sold 2,000 shares, while insiders retain a 15.81% ownership stake.

Commerce Bank bought a new stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 22,111 shares of the savings and loans company's stock, valued at approximately $1,685,000. Commerce Bank owned 0.20% of Southern Missouri Bancorp at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of SMBC. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $85,270,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 2.8% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 440,839 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $28,187,000 after buying an additional 11,946 shares during the period. FJ Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 6.4% in the third quarter. FJ Capital Management LLC now owns 300,944 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $15,818,000 after buying an additional 18,002 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 29.2% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 275,909 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $16,312,000 after acquiring an additional 62,355 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 86.5% during 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 during the period. Institutional investors own 49.49% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Southern Missouri Bancorp news, EVP Richard Windes sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.70, for a total value of $139,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,375 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $374,637.50. The trade was a 27.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 15.81% of the company's stock.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:SMBC opened at $74.01 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $76.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $69.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99. The company has a market capitalization of $815.59 million, a PE ratio of 11.51 and a beta of 0.86. Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. has a 52 week low of $47.60 and a 52 week high of $79.86.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The savings and loans company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.31. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a net margin of 22.63% and a return on equity of 12.72%. The company had revenue of $51.77 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $51.14 million. Analysts forecast 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This is a boost from Southern Missouri Bancorp's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Southern Missouri Bancorp's dividend payout ratio is presently 16.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on SMBC. Stephens downgraded Southern Missouri Bancorp from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $85.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $83.00 price objective (up from $79.00) on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Southern Missouri Bancorp from $75.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Southern Missouri Bancorp from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $83.67.

About Southern Missouri Bancorp

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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