Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) Shares Gap Up to $54.42

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC)’s stock price gapped up before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $54.42, but opened at $56.01. Southern Missouri Bancorp shares last traded at $54.91, with a volume of 3,685 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $60.00 target price for the company.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average is $51.97 and its 200 day moving average is $45.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 0.97. The firm has a market cap of $614.31 million, a P/E ratio of 11.86 and a beta of 0.97.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The savings and loans company reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.26. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a return on equity of 10.73% and a net margin of 18.37%. The company had revenue of $42.86 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $40.18 million. On average, research analysts predict that Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. will post 4.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were paid a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.70%. This is a positive change from Southern Missouri Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Southern Missouri Bancorp’s payout ratio is presently 20.04%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director William E. Young sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.57, for a total value of $247,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 218,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,851,715.69. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, Director William E. Young sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.57, for a total transaction of $247,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 218,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,851,715.69. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director William E. Young sold 500 shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.37, for a total transaction of $26,185.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 223,917 shares in the company, valued at $11,726,533.29. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 17.41% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern Missouri Bancorp

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SMBC. Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake 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 during the period. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new position in Southern Missouri Bancorp in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 7.4% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 17,701 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $774,000 after acquiring an additional 1,225 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 11.1% during the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 20,000 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $900,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 86.8% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,747 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $207,000 after purchasing an additional 2,206 shares during the last quarter. 49.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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 interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing transaction accounts, money market deposit accounts, saving accounts, certificates of deposit, and retirement savings plans.