Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 65,400 shares, an increase of 35.1% from the November 15th total of 48,400 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 32,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.0 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Southern Missouri Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of SMBC traded down $1.13 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $63.44. 16,832 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 23,065. The company has a market capitalization of $715.60 million, a PE ratio of 14.58 and a beta of 0.97. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $62.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $54.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Southern Missouri Bancorp has a one year low of $39.00 and a one year high of $68.69.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The savings and loans company reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $74.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $42.48 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Southern Missouri Bancorp will post 4.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.45%. Southern Missouri Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.15%.

Insider Activity at Southern Missouri Bancorp

In other 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 transaction of $179,700.00. Following 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 16.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 6.7% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 52,423 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $2,360,000 after buying an additional 3,282 shares during the last quarter. Bailard Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp during the 2nd quarter worth about $293,000. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC raised its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 24.9% in the 2nd quarter. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC now owns 60,860 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $2,739,000 after acquiring an additional 12,125 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 14,347 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $646,000 after acquiring an additional 263 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 11.1% in the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 20,000 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $900,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. 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.