Great Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:GSBC) Issues Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.07 EPS

Great Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:GSBC) released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The financial services provider reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.07, Zacks reports. The firm had revenue of $56.35 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.03 million. Great Southern Bancorp had a net margin of 20.70% and a return on equity of 11.40%.

Great Southern Bancorp Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of Great Southern Bancorp stock opened at $66.35 on Friday. Great Southern Bancorp has a 52-week low of $47.57 and a 52-week high of $67.70. The company has a 50 day moving average of $62.19 and a 200 day moving average of $60.82. The company has a market capitalization of $742.46 million, a P/E ratio of 10.70 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Great Southern Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 29th. Great Southern Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.57%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP John M. Bugh sold 1,750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.72, for a total transaction of $101,010.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 1,790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $103,318.80. This represents a 49.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Mark A. Maples sold 1,450 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.93, for a total value of $86,898.50. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 27.93% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Great Southern Bancorp

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Great Southern Bancorp by 568.3% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 5,841 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $343,000 after buying an additional 4,967 shares during the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Great Southern Bancorp by 7.9% during the second quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 17,951 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,055,000 after acquiring an additional 1,310 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in Great Southern Bancorp by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 13,234 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $778,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Great Southern Bancorp by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 26,935 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,583,000 after acquiring an additional 458 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Great Southern Bancorp in the second quarter valued at $561,000. 41.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GSBC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Great Southern Bancorp from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Great Southern Bancorp in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $59.50.

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.