Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) saw a large drop in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 36,700 shares, a drop of 21.7% from the July 15th total of 46,900 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 37,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.0 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director William E. Young sold 500 shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.37, for a total value of $26,185.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 223,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,726,533.29. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director William E. Young sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.37, for a total transaction of $26,185.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 223,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,726,533.29. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director William E. Young sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.57, for a total value of $247,850.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 218,917 shares in the company, valued at $10,851,715.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 20,500 shares of company stock valued at $900,435 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 17.41% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SMBC. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 45,300 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $2,419,000 after acquiring an additional 4,284 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 18.9% in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 7,123 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $380,000 after buying an additional 1,130 shares in the last quarter. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC grew its stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC now owns 35,810 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $1,912,000 after buying an additional 1,227 shares during the last quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 272,500 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $14,549,000 after buying an additional 12,375 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Financial Bankshares Inc bought a new position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $822,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.49% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research note on Tuesday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $60.00 target price on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $51.00 target price (down from $53.00) on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a report on Wednesday, May 1st.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ SMBC traded up $0.38 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $54.00. The company had a trading volume of 26,980 shares, compared to its average volume of 29,581. Southern Missouri Bancorp has a twelve month low of $37.74 and a twelve month high of $58.03. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $46.78 and its 200-day moving average is $43.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $613.17 million, a PE ratio of 11.73 and a beta of 0.97.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be paid a $0.23 dividend. This is a boost from Southern Missouri Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.70%. Southern Missouri Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.04%.

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 interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing transaction accounts, money market deposit accounts, saving accounts, certificates of deposit, and retirement savings plans.