Stephens Downgrades Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) to Equal Weight

Key Points

• Stephens downgraded Southern Missouri Bancorp from “overweight” to “equal weight,” setting an $85 price target—implying 7.79% upside from the reported $78.86 price.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly neutral: the stock has one Buy and three Hold ratings, with a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $83.67.
• Southern Missouri Bancorp exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.83 in EPS versus the $1.52 consensus and revenue of $51.77 million versus $51.14 million expected.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Stephens from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report issued on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. They presently have a $85.00 price target on the savings and loans company's stock. Stephens' price target suggests a potential upside of 7.79% from the company's current price.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on SMBC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Southern Missouri Bancorp from $75.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research 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. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $83.00 target price (up from $79.00) on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research report on Monday, July 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $83.67.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Stock Performance

NASDAQ SMBC opened at $78.86 on Thursday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $74.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $68.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $869.04 million, a P/E ratio of 12.26 and a beta of 0.86. Southern Missouri Bancorp has a 1-year low of $47.60 and a 1-year high of $79.86. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The savings and loans company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.31. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a net margin of 22.63% and a return on equity of 12.72%. The firm had revenue of $51.77 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $51.14 million. Equities analysts predict that Southern Missouri Bancorp will post 6.9 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Richard Windes sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 5,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $374,637.50. This represents a 27.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 15.81% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern Missouri Bancorp

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 124.7% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 564 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 313 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 105.7% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 718 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 369 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $66,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $93,000. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp during the first quarter valued at approximately $94,000. 49.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

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