Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) Sees Strong Trading Volume - Here's Why

Key Points

• $1.60 EPS for the quarter topped estimates of $1.55 and revenue was $50.25M versus $49.98M, with a 12.14% return on equity and a 21.36% net margin.
• Analysts are split (two Buys, two Holds) with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $70.67; several firms recently raised their targets (Stephens $76, Piper Sandler $71).
• Trading volume was 42,699 shares on Monday with the stock near $68.41 (down ~1.3%), and the company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share (1.5% yield) payable May 29.

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC - Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Monday . Approximately 42,699 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 40% from the previous session's volume of 71,017 shares.The stock last traded at $68.41 and had previously closed at $68.53.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SMBC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $71.00 target price (up from $68.00) on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $76.00 target price (up from $72.00) on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Southern Missouri Bancorp from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Southern Missouri Bancorp from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $70.67.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Trading Down 1.3%

The company has a market capitalization of $751.51 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.32 and a beta of 0.89. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $64.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $60.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The savings and loans company reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.55 by $0.05. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a return on equity of 12.14% and a net margin of 21.36%.The company had revenue of $50.25 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $49.98 million. On average, equities analysts expect that Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. will post 6.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Southern Missouri Bancorp's payout ratio is currently 16.69%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Charles R. Love sold 580 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.00, for a total transaction of $37,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 15,220 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $974,080. This trade represents a 3.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 15.81% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 5,681 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $296,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted 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 worth $42,000 after buying an additional 369 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank lifted its position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 18,953 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $1,121,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 15,136 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $829,000 after buying an additional 518 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 5,537 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $327,000 after acquiring an additional 550 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.49% of the company's stock.

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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