Great Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:GSBC) Shares Pass Above 200-Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Great Southern Bancorp shares rose above their 200-day moving average, reaching a trading high of $60.95 and a latest price of $60.69.
• Wall Street analysts have shifted perspectives, with Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raising their price target to $63.00, while others upgraded the stock from "sell" to "hold."
• The company announced an increase in its quarterly dividend from $0.40 to $0.43 per share, with a payment date scheduled for October 14th.

Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:GSBC - Get Free Report) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $58.24 and traded as high as $60.95. Great Southern Bancorp shares last traded at $60.69, with a volume of 31,523 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on GSBC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Great Southern Bancorp from $61.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Wall Street Zen raised Great Southern Bancorp from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Great Southern Bancorp presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $60.50.

Great Southern Bancorp Trading Down 0.9%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.93. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $60.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $58.24. The company has a market cap of $687.62 million, a PE ratio of 10.34 and a beta of 0.55.

Great Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:GSBC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.35. Great Southern Bancorp had a return on equity of 11.17% and a net margin of 19.18%.The company had revenue of $59.18 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $55.61 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. will post 5.24 EPS for the current year.

Great Southern Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. This is a boost from Great Southern Bancorp's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 29th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Great Southern Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.30%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Great Southern Bancorp

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its holdings in shares of Great Southern Bancorp by 25.2% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 50,433 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,965,000 after buying an additional 10,163 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Great Southern Bancorp by 3,619.3% during the 2nd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 7,327 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $430,000 after buying an additional 7,130 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of Great Southern Bancorp by 568.3% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 5,841 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $343,000 after buying an additional 4,967 shares during the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Great Southern Bancorp by 7.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 17,951 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,055,000 after buying an additional 1,310 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Great Southern Bancorp by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 13,234 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $778,000 after buying an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. 41.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Great Southern Bancorp

Great Southern Bancorp, Inc operates as a bank holding company for Great Southern Bank that provides a range of financial services in the United States. Its deposit products include regular savings accounts, checking accounts, money market accounts, fixed interest rate certificates with varying maturities, certificates of deposit, brokered certificates, and individual retirement accounts.

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