Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Should You Buy?

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 40,998 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 22% from the previous session’s volume of 52,237 shares.The stock last traded at $61.5590 and had previously closed at $61.72.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on SMBC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Southern Missouri Bancorp from $61.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Piper Sandler set a $60.50 target price on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research note on Monday, December 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $62.83.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $55.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $55.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $683.42 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.18 and a beta of 0.98.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 10th. The savings and loans company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a net margin of 19.86% and a return on equity of 11.57%. The business had revenue of $30.15 million during the quarter. Equities research analysts expect that Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. will post 5.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 28th. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 14th. Southern Missouri Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 18.32%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Southern Missouri Bancorp news, Director William E. Young sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.87, for a total value of $80,805.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 93,552 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,039,646.24. The trade was a 1.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 15.81% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southern Missouri Bancorp

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SMBC. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 86.5% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 100,724 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $5,294,000 after buying an additional 46,730 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 63.4% in the first quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 107,690 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $5,602,000 after purchasing an additional 41,770 shares during the period. Citadel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 434.0% during the 3rd quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 35,141 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $1,847,000 after purchasing an additional 28,560 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 10.3% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 275,411 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $14,476,000 after purchasing an additional 25,751 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Southern Missouri Bancorp in the first quarter worth $1,298,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.49% of the company’s stock.

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.