Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) Reaches New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $70.48 and last traded at $70.7540, with a volume of 103335 shares. The stock had previously closed at $69.00.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SMBC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Stephens reaffirmed 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Southern Missouri Bancorp from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $71.00 price target (up from $68.00) on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Southern Missouri Bancorp from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $70.67.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $67.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $63.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $768.98 million, a P/E ratio of 11.65 and a beta of 0.88.

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

Southern Missouri Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. Southern Missouri Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.69%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southern Missouri Bancorp

In related news, EVP Richard Windes sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.47, for a total value of $136,940.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $368,026.25. This trade represents a 27.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 15.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 124.7% in 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 in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in 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 valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 369 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $93,000. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $94,000. 49.49% of the stock is owned by 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.