Empowered Funds LLC Invests $4.24 Million in Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. $GSBC

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC purchased 54,040 shares of Great Southern Bancorp valued at approximately $4.24 million, giving it a 0.50% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 41.66% of the company.
• Great Southern Bancorp exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.57 EPS versus the $1.38 consensus estimate and revenue of $56.87 million. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.43 per share, representing a 2.2% yield.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with a consensus “Hold” rating and a $74 price target, below the stock’s reported trading price of $78.27. An insider also sold 851 shares for approximately $68,931.

Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:GSBC - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 54,040 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,237,000. Empowered Funds LLC owned about 0.50% of Great Southern Bancorp at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GSBC. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in Great Southern Bancorp by 1,301.8% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 771 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 716 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Great Southern Bancorp during the second quarter valued at $71,000. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Great Southern Bancorp during the fourth quarter valued at $77,000. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in shares of Great Southern Bancorp by 24.8% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,309 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Great Southern Bancorp during the third quarter worth about $128,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.66% of the company's stock.

Great Southern Bancorp Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:GSBC opened at $78.27 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $79.09 and a 200-day moving average of $71.25. The firm has a market cap of $853.14 million, a P/E ratio of 13.00 and a beta of 0.49. Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. has a twelve month low of $53.76 and a twelve month high of $82.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Great Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:GSBC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.19. Great Southern Bancorp had a net margin of 20.72% and a return on equity of 10.83%. The business had revenue of $56.87 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.26 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. will post 5.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Great Southern Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 29th were paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 29th. Great Southern Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Great Southern Bancorp from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Great Southern Bancorp from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Great Southern Bancorp from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Great Southern Bancorp from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $74.00.

Insider Transactions at Great Southern Bancorp

In other news, Director Julie A. Brown sold 851 shares of Great Southern Bancorp stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.00, for a total transaction of $68,931.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 7,052 shares in the company, valued at approximately $571,212. This trade represents a 10.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 29.75% of the company's stock.

About Great Southern Bancorp

Great Southern Bancorp, Inc NASDAQ: GSBC is the bank holding company for Great Southern Bank, a full-service commercial bank headquartered in Springfield, Missouri. Through its subsidiary, the company provides a broad spectrum of financial products and services designed to meet the needs of individuals, small and mid-sized businesses, and professional clients across its regional footprint.

Great Southern Bank's core business activities include deposit-taking, lending and treasury management.

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