Great Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:GSBC) Rating Lowered to Sell at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Great Southern Bancorp from hold to sell, even as other firms remained more positive on the stock.
• Despite the downgrade, the broader analyst view is still constructive: the stock has an average Buy rating with a $65.00 consensus target, and recent firms included a price target increase from Keefe, Bruyette & Woods and an upgrade from Zacks Research.
• The company reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.58 versus estimates of $1.27, while insider selling continued, including notable share sales by two vice presidents.

Great Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:GSBC - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report released on Saturday.

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

Great Southern Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of Great Southern Bancorp stock opened at $69.74 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $64.57 and a 200 day moving average of $62.46. Great Southern Bancorp has a 12 month low of $53.76 and a 12 month high of $70.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $764.35 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.05 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93.

Great Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:GSBC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.31. Great Southern Bancorp had a return on equity of 11.31% and a net margin of 21.33%.The company had revenue of $55.36 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $54.75 million. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Great Southern Bancorp will post 5.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP John M. Bugh sold 2,500 shares of Great Southern Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.59, for a total value of $168,975.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 1,790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $120,986.10. This trade represents a 58.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Mark A. Maples sold 2,387 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.95, for a total value of $164,583.65. Following the sale, the vice president owned 1,187 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $81,843.65. The trade was a 66.79% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 13,687 shares of company stock worth $938,407. 29.75% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Great Southern Bancorp

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new stake in Great Southern Bancorp during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in Great Southern Bancorp by 1,301.8% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 771 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 716 shares in the last quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors acquired a new stake in Great Southern Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth approximately $77,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in Great Southern Bancorp during the third quarter worth approximately $128,000. Finally, CWM LLC raised its holdings in Great Southern Bancorp by 224.7% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,789 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $171,000 after purchasing an additional 1,930 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.66% 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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