Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) Short Interest Update

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 48,900 shares, a drop of 25.2% from the November 30th total of 65,400 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 30,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.6 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Stephens raised their price objective on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Stock Down 2.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ SMBC traded down $1.63 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $57.80. 41,963 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 30,923. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $62.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $55.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The company has a market cap of $651.81 million, a PE ratio of 13.29 and a beta of 0.97. Southern Missouri Bancorp has a twelve month low of $39.00 and a twelve month high of $68.69.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The savings and loans company reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.11 by ($0.01). Southern Missouri Bancorp had a net margin of 17.44% and a return on equity of 10.18%. The company had revenue of $74.55 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $42.48 million. Research analysts predict that Southern Missouri Bancorp will post 4.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. Southern Missouri Bancorp's payout ratio is currently 21.15%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director William E. Young sold 3,000 shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.90, for a total value of $179,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 48,649 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,914,075.10. This trade represents a 5.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 16.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 249.1% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 25,080 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $1,417,000 after acquiring an additional 17,895 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 48.2% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 104,175 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $6,105,000 after purchasing an additional 33,902 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its position in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 90.4% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 25,273 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $1,427,000 after purchasing an additional 11,996 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 217,753 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $12,304,000 after purchasing an additional 2,113 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zacks Investment Management acquired a new position in Southern Missouri Bancorp in the third quarter valued at $273,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.49% of the company's stock.

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.