Head-To-Head Analysis: Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) versus Great Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:GSBC)

Great Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:GSBC) and Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, earnings, institutional ownership, profitability, dividends, risk and analyst recommendations.

Volatility and Risk

Great Southern Bancorp has a beta of 0.53, meaning that its stock price is 47% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Southern Missouri Bancorp has a beta of 0.98, meaning that its stock price is 2% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

41.7% of Great Southern Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 49.5% of Southern Missouri Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 27.9% of Great Southern Bancorp shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 16.6% of Southern Missouri Bancorp shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Great Southern Bancorp and Southern Missouri Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Great Southern Bancorp	18.32%	10.95%	1.09%
Southern Missouri Bancorp	18.76%	11.06%	1.17%

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Great Southern Bancorp and Southern Missouri Bancorp”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Great Southern Bancorp	$355.26 million	1.94	$61.81 million	$5.60	10.76
Southern Missouri Bancorp	$273.22 million	2.31	$50.18 million	$4.98	11.23

Great Southern Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than Southern Missouri Bancorp. Great Southern Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Southern Missouri Bancorp, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Dividends

Great Southern Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $1.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. Southern Missouri Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.6%. Great Southern Bancorp pays out 28.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Southern Missouri Bancorp pays out 18.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Southern Missouri Bancorp has raised its dividend for 13 consecutive years.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Great Southern Bancorp and Southern Missouri Bancorp, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Great Southern Bancorp	0	2	0	0	2.00
Southern Missouri Bancorp	0	1	2	0	2.67

Great Southern Bancorp presently has a consensus price target of $59.50, indicating a potential downside of 1.23%. Southern Missouri Bancorp has a consensus price target of $66.33, indicating a potential upside of 18.64%. Given Southern Missouri Bancorp’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Southern Missouri Bancorp is more favorable than Great Southern Bancorp.

Summary

Southern Missouri Bancorp beats Great Southern Bancorp on 12 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Great Southern Bancorp

Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. operates as a bank holding company for Great Southern Bank that provides a range of financial services in the United States. Its deposit products include regular savings accounts, checking accounts, money market accounts, fixed interest rate certificates with varying maturities, certificates of deposit, brokered certificates, and individual retirement accounts. The company's loan portfolio comprises residential and commercial real estate loans, commercial business loans, construction loans, home improvement loans, and unsecured consumer loans, as well as secured consumer loans, such as automobile loans, boat loans, home equity loans, and loans secured by savings deposits. It also provides insurance and merchant banking services. The company was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in Springfield, Missouri.

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. It also provides loans, such as residential mortgage, commercial real estate, construction, and commercial business loans; and consumer loans comprising home equity, direct and indirect automobile loans, second mortgages, mobile home loans, and loans secured by deposits. In addition, the company offers fiduciary and investment management services; commercial and consumer insurance; online and mobile banking services; and debit or credit cards. The company was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.