Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) Hits New 52-Week High on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) shares reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $63.84 and last traded at $63.3950, with a volume of 27077 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $60.57.

The savings and loans company reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.56 by $0.06. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a return on equity of 11.57% and a net margin of 19.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on SMBC shares. Piper Sandler set a $60.50 price objective on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Southern Missouri Bancorp from $61.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $62.83.

Insider Activity at Southern Missouri Bancorp

In related news, Director William E. Young sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.87, for a total value of $80,805.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 93,552 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,039,646.24. This trade represents a 1.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 15.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Southern Missouri Bancorp

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 122.9% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 9,623 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $501,000 after buying an additional 5,306 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 5,681 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $296,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 8.2% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 22,546 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $1,173,000 after acquiring an additional 1,702 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new position in Southern Missouri Bancorp during the 1st quarter valued at about $740,000. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in the 1st quarter valued at about $94,000. 49.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Stock Up 5.2%

The business has a fifty day moving average price of $58.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $56.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company has a market cap of $713.66 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.67 and a beta of 0.98.

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.