Short Interest in Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) Rises By 55.1%

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 82,200 shares, a growth of 55.1% from the January 31st total of 53,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 32,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.5 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southern Missouri Bancorp

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southern Missouri Bancorp

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in SMBC. Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 19,909 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $1,142,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 5,447 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $312,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. increased its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 52,993 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $3,040,000 after buying an additional 280 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its position in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 5,577 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $320,000 after buying an additional 391 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 13,350 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $766,000 after acquiring an additional 780 shares during the period. 49.49% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Southern Missouri Bancorp Stock Down 0.2 %

NASDAQ:SMBC traded down $0.12 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $55.45. 27,379 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 31,046. The company has a fifty day moving average of $57.81 and a 200 day moving average of $59.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 0.97. Southern Missouri Bancorp has a twelve month low of $39.00 and a twelve month high of $68.69. The company has a market capitalization of $625.31 million, a P/E ratio of 12.11 and a beta of 0.99.

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

Southern Missouri Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.66%. Southern Missouri Bancorp's dividend payout ratio is currently 20.09%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp from $70.00 to $68.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $76.00 target price on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th.

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.