Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) Short Interest Up 40.7% in December

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 68,800 shares, an increase of 40.7% from the December 15th total of 48,900 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 32,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.1 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on SMBC shares. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Southern Missouri Bancorp from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Stephens upped their target price on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Stock Performance

SMBC stock traded down $0.13 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $55.73. The company had a trading volume of 38,149 shares, compared to its average volume of 34,875. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market cap of $628.63 million, a PE ratio of 12.81 and a beta of 0.99. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $61.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $56.76. Southern Missouri Bancorp has a 12 month low of $39.00 and a 12 month high of $68.69.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The savings and loans company reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by ($0.01). Southern Missouri Bancorp had a return on equity of 10.18% and a net margin of 17.44%. The firm had revenue of $74.55 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $42.48 million. On average, analysts forecast that Southern Missouri Bancorp will post 4.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 29th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. Southern Missouri Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 21.15%.

Insider Transactions at Southern Missouri Bancorp

In other news, Director William E. Young sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.90, for a total transaction of $179,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 48,649 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,914,075.10. This trade represents a 5.81 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 16.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern Missouri Bancorp

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in SMBC. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Southern Missouri Bancorp in the 3rd quarter valued at $3,690,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 147.9% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 89,957 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $5,082,000 after purchasing an additional 53,670 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 48.2% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 104,175 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $6,105,000 after purchasing an additional 33,902 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 23.2% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 145,412 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $6,545,000 after acquiring an additional 27,388 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 103.4% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 36,889 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $2,084,000 after acquiring an additional 18,756 shares in 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 deposits products, including interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing transaction accounts, saving accounts, certificates of deposit, retirement savings plans, and money market deposit accounts.