Empowered Funds LLC Acquires New Holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. $SMBC

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC acquired 46,088 shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp worth approximately $3.5 million, giving it a 0.42% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 49.49% of the company.
• Southern Missouri Bancorp exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.83 EPS versus the $1.52 consensus, while generating $51.77 million in revenue. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.27 per share.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with one Buy rating and four Holds; the consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of $83.67, compared with the stock’s reported price of $72.63.

Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 46,088 shares of the savings and loans company's stock, valued at approximately $3,512,000. Empowered Funds LLC owned approximately 0.42% of Southern Missouri Bancorp at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of SMBC. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp during the second quarter worth $26,000. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 124.7% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 564 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 105.7% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 718 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 369 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth $66,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp during the 2nd quarter worth $93,000. Institutional investors own 49.49% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Southern Missouri Bancorp

In related news, EVP Richard Windes sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.70, for a total value of $139,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,375 shares in the company, valued at $374,637.50. The trade was a 27.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 15.81% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Stock Performance

NASDAQ:SMBC opened at $72.63 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $800.38 million, a PE ratio of 11.30 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $76.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $69.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99. Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $47.60 and a fifty-two week high of $79.86.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The savings and loans company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $51.77 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $51.14 million. Research analysts anticipate that Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. will post 6.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th were paid 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. Southern Missouri Bancorp's payout ratio is 16.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Raymond James Financial began coverage on Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 25th. Piper Sandler reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $83.00 target price (up from $79.00) on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Stephens cut shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $85.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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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