Great Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:GSBC) Reaches New 12-Month High After Strong Earnings

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

The financial services provider reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.07. Great Southern Bancorp had a return on equity of 11.40% and a net margin of 20.70%.The firm had revenue of $56.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.03 million.

Great Southern Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 13th. Investors of record on Monday, December 29th were issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 29th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Great Southern Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 28.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GSBC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst 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 reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Great Southern Bancorp in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Great Southern Bancorp from $63.00 to $61.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $59.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Great Southern Bancorp news, VP Mark A. Maples sold 1,450 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.93, for a total value of $86,898.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP John M. Bugh sold 1,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $103,318.80. This represents a 49.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 27.93% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Great Southern Bancorp

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GSBC. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in shares of Great Southern Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in Great Southern Bancorp by 1,301.8% during the third 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 in the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its position in Great Southern Bancorp by 150.4% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 859 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 516 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC bought a new position in Great Southern Bancorp in the third quarter valued at approximately $128,000. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC bought a new position in Great Southern Bancorp in the second quarter valued at approximately $206,000. 41.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Great Southern Bancorp Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $742.46 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.70 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.93. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $62.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $60.82.

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.