Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) Hits New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

Shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $70.35 and last traded at $69.6660, with a volume of 9641 shares. The stock had previously closed at $68.99.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on SMBC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Southern Missouri Bancorp from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $71.00 target price (up from $68.00) on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Southern Missouri Bancorp from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $76.00 price target (up from $72.00) on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.67.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $66.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $62.53. The stock has a market cap of $767.38 million, a P/E ratio of 11.62 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The savings and loans company reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.55 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $50.25 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $49.98 million. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a return on equity of 12.05% and a net margin of 21.36%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. will post 6.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Southern Missouri Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is 16.69%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southern Missouri Bancorp

In other news, EVP Richard Windes sold 2,000 shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.47, for a total transaction of $136,940.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,375 shares in the company, valued at $368,026.25. The trade was a 27.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles R. Love sold 580 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.00, for a total transaction of $37,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 15,220 shares in the company, valued at $974,080. This trade represents a 3.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 15.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SMBC. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 124.7% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 564 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings 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 period. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Southern Missouri Bancorp in the third quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Southern Missouri Bancorp in the second quarter valued at approximately $93,000. Finally, Strs Ohio bought a new position in Southern Missouri Bancorp during the first quarter valued at $94,000. 49.49% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.