Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:GSBC) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Short interest fell 15.2% in April to 304,946 shares (about 4.0% of shares sold short) with a short-interest ratio of 4.3 days.
• Great Southern Bancorp beat quarterly estimates with $1.58 EPS vs. $1.27 expected and revenue of $55.36M, while analysts project 5.84 EPS for the year.
• The company paid a quarterly dividend of $0.43 (annualized $1.72, yield 2.5%, payout ratio 27.26%) amid recent insider sales though insiders still own 29.75% of shares.

Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:GSBC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 304,946 shares, a decrease of 15.2% from the March 31st total of 359,690 shares. Approximately 4.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 70,499 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.3 days.

Great Southern Bancorp Stock Up 1.1%

NASDAQ:GSBC traded up $0.78 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $69.00. 78,094 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 74,500. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $64.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $62.20. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $53.60 and a fifty-two week high of $70.91. The firm has a market cap of $756.47 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.94 and a beta of 0.46.

Great Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:GSBC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.31. Great Southern Bancorp had a net margin of 21.33% and a return on equity of 11.31%. The company had revenue of $55.36 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $54.75 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Great Southern Bancorp will post 5.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Great Southern Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 30th were paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 30th. Great Southern Bancorp's payout ratio is 27.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GSBC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research upgraded Great Southern Bancorp from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Great Southern Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Great Southern Bancorp from $63.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $65.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Great Southern Bancorp news, Director Thomas J. Carlson sold 680 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.17, for a total value of $42,955.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 17,206 shares in the company, valued at $1,086,903.02. This represents a 3.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP John M. Bugh sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.59, for a total value of $168,975.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 1,790 shares of the company's stock, valued at $120,986.10. This trade represents a 58.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 29.75% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Great Southern Bancorp

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GSBC. Comerica Bank increased its holdings in shares of Great Southern Bancorp by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 4,149 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $255,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Great Southern Bancorp by 4.8% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 5,138 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $284,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of Great Southern Bancorp by 1.9% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 13,580 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $798,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Great Southern Bancorp by 2.6% during the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 10,857 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $665,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of Great Southern Bancorp by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 4,857 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $299,000 after purchasing an additional 318 shares during the period. 41.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Great Southern Bancorp Company Profile

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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