Great Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:GSBC) Sets New 52-Week High Following Earnings Beat

Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:GSBC) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as high as $66.86 and last traded at $66.5850, with a volume of 52189 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $62.98.

The financial services provider reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.07. Great Southern Bancorp had a net margin of 19.80% and a return on equity of 11.28%.

Great Southern Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 13th. Investors of record on Monday, December 29th were paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 29th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Great Southern Bancorp’s payout ratio is 28.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GSBC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Great Southern Bancorp from $63.00 to $61.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Great Southern Bancorp in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Great Southern Bancorp from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $59.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Mark A. Maples sold 1,450 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.93, for a total transaction of $86,898.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP John M. Bugh sold 1,750 shares of Great Southern Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.72, for a total value of $101,010.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 1,790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $103,318.80. This represents a 49.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 27.93% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Great Southern Bancorp

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new stake in Great Southern Bancorp in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Great Southern Bancorp by 1,301.8% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 771 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 716 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of Great Southern Bancorp by 150.4% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 859 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 516 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Great Southern Bancorp in the 3rd quarter valued at $128,000. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Great Southern Bancorp during the 2nd quarter valued at $206,000. 41.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Great Southern Bancorp Trading Up 6.3%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market cap of $749.39 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.12 and a beta of 0.52. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $61.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $60.74.

About Great Southern Bancorp

Great Southern Bancorp, Inc (NASDAQ: GSBC) is the bank holding company for Great Southern Bank, a full-service commercial bank headquartered in Springfield, Missouri. Through its subsidiary, the company provides a broad spectrum of financial products and services designed to meet the needs of individuals, small and mid-sized businesses, and professional clients across its regional footprint.

Great Southern Bank’s core business activities include deposit-taking, lending and treasury management.