LifeStore Financial Group (OTCMKTS:LSFG) and Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) Head to Head Survey

LifeStore Financial Group (OTCMKTS:LSFG) and Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, risk, valuation, profitability, institutional ownership and dividends.

Profitability

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

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
LifeStore Financial Group	N/A	N/A	N/A
Southern Missouri Bancorp	20.80%	11.92%	1.30%

Dividends

LifeStore Financial Group pays an annual dividend of $0.65 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. Southern Missouri Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.5%. Southern Missouri Bancorp pays out 17.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Southern Missouri Bancorp has increased its dividend for 13 consecutive years. Southern Missouri Bancorp is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for LifeStore Financial Group and Southern Missouri Bancorp, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
LifeStore Financial Group	0	0	0	0	0.00
Southern Missouri Bancorp	0	2	2	0	2.50

Southern Missouri Bancorp has a consensus price target of $68.33, indicating a potential upside of 4.34%. Given Southern Missouri Bancorp’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Southern Missouri Bancorp is more favorable than LifeStore Financial Group.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

49.5% of Southern Missouri Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. 12.2% of LifeStore Financial Group shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 15.8% of Southern Missouri Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Risk and Volatility

LifeStore Financial Group has a beta of 0.45, suggesting that its share price is 55% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Southern Missouri Bancorp has a beta of 0.99, suggesting that its share price is 1% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares LifeStore Financial Group and Southern Missouri Bancorp”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
LifeStore Financial Group	$33.78 million	N/A	$5.56 million	N/A	N/A
Southern Missouri Bancorp	$305.35 million	2.38	$58.58 million	$5.78	11.33

Southern Missouri Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than LifeStore Financial Group.

Summary

Southern Missouri Bancorp beats LifeStore Financial Group on 13 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About LifeStore Financial Group

LifeStore Financial Group, Inc. operates as a federally chartered thrift holding company for LifeStore Bank that provides personal and business banking products and services in North Carolina. The company offers checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit; mortgage loans, automobile loans, home equity lines of credit, commercial real estate loans, commercial construction loans, investment property loans, equipment loans, working capital loans/lines of credit, and small business administration loans; and credit cards. It also provides insurance agency products and services; investment and cash management services; and online and mobile banking services. The company was formerly known as AF Financial Group and changed its name to LifeStore Financial Group, Inc. in September 2009. LifeStore Financial Group, Inc. was founded in 1939 and is headquartered in West Jefferson, North Carolina. Lifestore Financial Group, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of AsheCo MHC, Inc.

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.