Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) Reaches New 52-Week High After Strong Earnings

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

The savings and loans company reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.56 by $0.06. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a return on equity of 12.04% and a net margin of 20.80%.The business had revenue of $49.65 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $49.79 million.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. Southern Missouri Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.32%.

Key Southern Missouri Bancorp News

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern Missouri Bancorp this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Earnings beat and solid profit growth — Q2 EPS was $1.62, beating consensus (~$1.56), with net income up ~23.9% year‑over‑year driven by higher net interest income. This supports near‑term earnings visibility. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Capital returns boosted — Board authorized a new repurchase program up to ~550,000 shares and the company repurchased ~148,000 shares in the quarter (average ~$54.32). Buybacks plus a quarter‑cent dividend demonstrate management confidence. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend maintained — Board declared a $0.25 quarterly dividend (127th consecutive quarter); supports income investors and signals steady capital generation. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Margin and loan growth — net interest margin held at 3.57% and gross loans were up ~5% year‑over‑year; these helped revenue but also tightened loan‑to‑deposit metrics. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary available — the full earnings call transcript provides additional context on credit trends and strategy; review for forward guidance and management tone. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Asset quality deterioration — nonperforming loans rose to ~$29.7M (0.70% of gross loans) and provision for credit losses increased (PCL ~$1.68M), raising near‑term credit risk focus. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Liquidity/deposit mix shift — cash equivalents and time deposits fell ~30% (loan growth outpaced deposit gathering) and brokered deposits declined, pushing the loan‑to‑deposit ratio to the high 90s — a potential funding/coverage risk if trends continue. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Rising operating costs and mixed fee income — noninterest expense edged higher and noninterest income slipped slightly, partially offsetting interest income gains. Article Title

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director William E. Young sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director directly owned 93,552 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,039,646.24. This represents a 1.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 15.81% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern Missouri Bancorp

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 432,463 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $22,731,000 after acquiring an additional 4,037 shares during the period. FJ Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. FJ Capital Management LLC now owns 300,944 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $15,818,000 after purchasing an additional 18,002 shares in the last quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth approximately $16,579,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 10.3% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 275,411 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $14,476,000 after purchasing an additional 25,751 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 4.9% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 230,664 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $12,638,000 after purchasing an additional 10,802 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.49% of the company’s stock.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $715.34 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.05 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $59.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $56.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

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.