Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) Shares Acquired by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC - Free Report) by 5.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 109,664 shares of the savings and loans company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,489 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.97% of Southern Missouri Bancorp worth $6,291,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 243.0% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 86,033 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $4,936,000 after buying an additional 60,953 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 147.9% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 89,957 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $5,082,000 after buying an additional 53,670 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 17.7% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 208,097 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $11,939,000 after acquiring an additional 31,267 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth about $783,000. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its position in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 90.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 25,273 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $1,427,000 after acquiring an additional 11,996 shares in the last quarter. 49.49% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on SMBC shares. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $76.00 price objective on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on Southern Missouri Bancorp from $70.00 to $68.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Douglas Bagby sold 7,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.08, for a total transaction of $413,560.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 21,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,240,680. This represents a 25.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 16.60% of the company's stock.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Trading Up 2.3 %

NASDAQ:SMBC traded up $1.10 on Tuesday, hitting $49.17. The stock had a trading volume of 1,323 shares, compared to its average volume of 33,002. The stock has a market cap of $588.02 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.74 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $54.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $58.13. Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. has a 1-year low of $39.00 and a 1-year high of $68.69.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The savings and loans company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.07. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a net margin of 17.72% and a return on equity of 10.45%. Equities research analysts expect that Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. will post 5.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Southern Missouri Bancorp's payout ratio is 20.09%.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Company Profile

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.