Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) Sees Strong Trading Volume - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Southern Missouri Bancorp's (SMBC) shares experienced a significant increase in trading volume, rising by 48% to 47,425 shares on Monday, with the stock trading at $54.19.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share, up from the previous $0.23, and has a current payout ratio of 19.31%.
• Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price for SMBC from $60.00 to $63.00, maintaining a "market perform" rating, while Stephens set a target price of $65.00 with an "overweight" rating.

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC - Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Monday . Approximately 47,425 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 48% from the previous session's volume of 32,092 shares.The stock last traded at $54.19 and had previously closed at $55.26.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Southern Missouri Bancorp currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $64.67.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Trading Up 5.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The company has a market cap of $655.40 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.20 and a beta of 1.03. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $54.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $54.19.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The savings and loans company reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $47.61 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $46.60 million. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a net margin of 19.17% and a return on equity of 11.35%. Research analysts predict that Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. will post 5.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This is an increase from Southern Missouri Bancorp's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Southern Missouri Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.31%.

Insider Activity at Southern Missouri Bancorp

In other news, Director William E. Young sold 10,000 shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.30, for a total transaction of $563,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 94,987 shares in the company, valued at $5,347,768.10. The trade was a 9.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 16.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southern Missouri Bancorp

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SMBC. Private Trust Co. NA purchased a new stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp during the second quarter worth about $32,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp during the second quarter worth about $93,000. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp during the first quarter worth about $94,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 720.1% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,608 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $143,000 after purchasing an additional 2,290 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 147.5% in the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,542 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $202,000 after purchasing an additional 2,111 shares during the period. 49.49% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Southern Missouri Bancorp

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Southern Bank that provides banking and financial services to individuals and corporate customers in the United States. The company offers deposits products, including interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing transaction accounts, saving accounts, certificates of deposit, retirement savings plans, and money market deposit accounts.