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

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

The financial services provider reported $1.45 EPS 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 Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Great Southern Bancorp in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on Great Southern Bancorp from $63.00 to $61.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Great Southern Bancorp from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $59.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP John M. Bugh sold 1,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.72, for a total transaction of $101,010.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 1,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $103,318.80. The trade was a 49.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Mark A. Maples sold 1,450 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.93, for a total transaction of $86,898.50. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 27.93% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of GSBC. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in Great Southern Bancorp during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Great Southern Bancorp by 1,301.8% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 771 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 716 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its holdings in Great Southern Bancorp by 150.4% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 859 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 516 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in Great Southern Bancorp during the 3rd quarter valued at $128,000. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC bought a new position in Great Southern Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at $206,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.66% of the company’s stock.

Great Southern Bancorp Trading Up 6.3%

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $60.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The company has a market cap of $749.39 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.12 and a beta of 0.52.

Great Southern Bancorp Company Profile

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.