Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) Short Interest Up 42.6% in March

Key Points

• Short interest jumped 42.6% in March to 182,096 shares (about 1.9% of shares outstanding), with a days-to-cover ratio of 3.0.
• Director Charles R. Love sold 580 shares on March 4, and insiders now own 15.81% of the company while institutional investors hold 49.49%, with several funds recently increasing or initiating positions.
• Analysts maintain a consensus of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $68.33, and several firms have recently raised targets or ratings.

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC - Get Free Report) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 182,096 shares, a growth of 42.6% from the February 26th total of 127,736 shares. Currently, 1.9% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 60,674 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.0 days.

Insider Activity at Southern Missouri Bancorp

In related news, Director Charles R. Love sold 580 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.00, for a total value of $37,120.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 15,220 shares in the company, valued at approximately $974,080. This represents a 3.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 15.81% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 105.7% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 718 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 369 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $66,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp in the second quarter worth approximately $93,000. Strs Ohio bought a new position in Southern Missouri Bancorp during the first quarter valued at approximately $94,000. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC grew its position in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 140.8% during the third quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 1,946 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $102,000 after acquiring an additional 1,138 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 49.49% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on SMBC shares. Piper Sandler reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $68.00 price objective (up from $61.00) on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a report on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $73.00 price target (up from $71.00) on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $68.33.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SMBC traded down $0.72 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $62.44. The company had a trading volume of 42,041 shares, compared to its average volume of 59,700. 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 has a 1 year low of $45.10 and a 1 year high of $66.56. The company has a market capitalization of $693.71 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.80 and a beta of 0.96. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $63.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $58.46.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 6th. The savings and loans company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $49.65 million for the quarter. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a return on equity of 11.92% and a net margin of 20.80%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Southern Missouri Bancorp will post 5.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. Southern Missouri Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.30%.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Company Profile

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.

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