Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. $GSBC Shares Sold by Simmons Bank

Key Points

• Simmons Bank reduced its stake in Great Southern Bancorp by 18.1% in the first quarter, selling 26,400 shares and ending with 119,791 shares worth about $7.56 million.
• Great Southern Bancorp reported solid quarterly results, posting EPS of $1.58 versus the $1.27 estimate and revenue of $55.36 million, while also declaring a quarterly dividend of $0.43 per share.
• Sentiment around the stock is mixed: analysts currently rate GSBC a “Hold” on average with a $65 price target, even as the shares recently traded near their 52-week high at $78.28.

Simmons Bank lowered its holdings in Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:GSBC - Free Report) by 18.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 119,791 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 26,400 shares during the period. Simmons Bank owned about 1.09% of Great Southern Bancorp worth $7,562,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Great Southern Bancorp by 9.8% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 271,310 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $16,618,000 after purchasing an additional 24,131 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management lifted its holdings in shares of Great Southern Bancorp by 26.6% in the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 130,884 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $8,057,000 after purchasing an additional 27,487 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its position in Great Southern Bancorp by 177.7% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 48,227 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,954,000 after purchasing an additional 30,863 shares during the period. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Great Southern Bancorp by 20.5% during the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 47,906 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,949,000 after purchasing an additional 8,149 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Great Southern Bancorp by 22.2% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 44,906 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,764,000 after purchasing an additional 8,149 shares during the period. 41.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Great Southern Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ GSBC opened at $78.28 on Tuesday. Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. has a 12-month low of $53.76 and a 12-month high of $79.29. The company has a market cap of $852.47 million, a PE ratio of 12.41 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $71.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.13. 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 earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $55.36 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $54.75 million. Great Southern Bancorp had a return on equity of 11.29% and a net margin of 21.33%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. will post 5.84 EPS for the current year.

Great Southern Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 29th. Great Southern Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on GSBC shares. Zacks Research lowered Great Southern Bancorp from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Great Southern Bancorp from $63.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Great Southern Bancorp from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Great Southern Bancorp from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $65.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Mark A. Maples sold 2,387 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.95, for a total value of $164,583.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 1,187 shares in the company, valued at $81,843.65. This represents a 66.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Kevin L. Baker sold 2,800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.96, for a total transaction of $195,888.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 14 shares in the company, valued at approximately $979.44. The trade was a 99.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 13,687 shares of company stock valued at $938,407 over the last three months. 29.75% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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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