Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Southern Missouri Bancorp traded 51,901 shares on Tuesday (a 22% decline from the prior session) and last traded near $66.47, remaining above its 50‑day and 200‑day moving averages ($63.79 and $59.27).
• Analysts have recently revised views upward (Weiss upgraded to a Buy, Stephens reissued an Overweight with a $73 target), leaving a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $68.67.
• The bank reported Q4 EPS of $1.61 (net margin 20.8%, ROE 11.9%), trades at a P/E of 11.6, pays a $0.25 quarterly dividend (1.5% yield), and shows substantial insider (15.8%) and institutional (~49.5%) ownership amid recent large institutional purchases.

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC - Get Free Report) saw strong trading volume on Tuesday . 51,901 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 22% from the previous session's volume of 66,817 shares.The stock last traded at $66.4690 and had previously closed at $66.81.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on SMBC. Weiss Ratings upgraded Southern Missouri Bancorp from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $73.00 price target (up from $71.00) on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $68.00 price target (up from $61.00) on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $68.67.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company has a market cap of $746.81 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.63 and a beta of 0.92. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $63.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $59.27.

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

Southern Missouri Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Southern Missouri Bancorp's payout ratio is presently 17.30%.

Insider Transactions at Southern Missouri Bancorp

In related news, Director Charles R. Love sold 580 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $974,080. This trade represents a 3.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 15.81% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southern Missouri Bancorp

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SMBC. Clayton Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Southern Missouri Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $16,579,000. State Street Corp grew its stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 29.2% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 275,909 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $16,312,000 after purchasing an additional 62,355 shares in the last quarter. Maltese Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth about $3,554,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 533.2% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 62,362 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $3,687,000 after purchasing an additional 52,513 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 86.5% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 100,724 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $5,294,000 after buying an additional 46,730 shares during the period. 49.49% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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