Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Issues Positive Forecast for Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) Stock Price

Key Points

• Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Southern Missouri Bancorp’s price target from $75 to $83 while maintaining a “market perform” rating, implying approximately 6% upside. Analysts collectively assign the stock a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average target of $80.67.
• Southern Missouri Bancorp exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.83 in EPS versus the $1.52 consensus and revenue of $51.77 million compared with estimates of $51.14 million.
• SMBC shares opened at $78.31, near their 12-month high of $79.39, with a market capitalization of about $863 million. Institutional investors own 49.49% of the stock, while insiders own 15.81%.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC - Get Free Report) had its price target raised by equities researchers at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $75.00 to $83.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "market perform" rating on the savings and loans company's stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' price target would suggest a potential upside of 5.99% from the company's current price.

SMBC has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 25th. Piper Sandler restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $83.00 price target (up from $79.00) on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research note on Monday. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $76.00 price objective (up from $72.00) on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Southern Missouri Bancorp currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $80.67.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Price Performance

SMBC opened at $78.31 on Thursday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $73.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $67.62. Southern Missouri Bancorp has a 12-month low of $47.60 and a 12-month high of $79.39. The firm has a market cap of $862.98 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.18 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The savings and loans company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $51.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $51.14 million. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a net margin of 22.63% and a return on equity of 12.72%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Southern Missouri Bancorp will post 6.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Southern Missouri Bancorp

In other news, EVP Richard Windes sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.70, for a total value of $139,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $374,637.50. This trade represents a 27.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 15.81% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern Missouri Bancorp

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of SMBC. Clayton Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp in the fourth quarter valued at $16,579,000. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 275,909 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $16,312,000 after acquiring an additional 62,355 shares during the last quarter. Maltese Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth about $3,554,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 533.2% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 62,362 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $3,687,000 after acquiring an additional 52,513 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 86.5% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 100,724 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $5,294,000 after purchasing an additional 46,730 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.49% of the company's stock.

About Southern Missouri Bancorp

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc NASDAQ: SMBC is a bank holding company headquartered in West Plains, Missouri, serving as the parent of Southern Bank. The company focuses on delivering community banking services to individual and commercial customers across southern Missouri and northern Arkansas. It operates branch offices in local markets and provides a comprehensive suite of deposit and lending products tailored to both urban and rural communities.

Through its subsidiary, Southern Bank, the company offers deposit products such as checking and savings accounts, money market accounts and certificates of deposit, alongside digital and mobile banking platforms.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.