Great Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:GSBC) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.19 EPS

Great Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:GSBC) issued its earnings results on Wednesday. The financial services provider reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.19, Zacks reports. Great Southern Bancorp had a net margin of 20.72% and a return on equity of 10.86%. The business had revenue of $56.87 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.26 million.

Great Southern Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of GSBC opened at $80.11 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $74.02 and its 200-day moving average is $67.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $872.40 million, a PE ratio of 13.31 and a beta of 0.49. Great Southern Bancorp has a fifty-two week low of $53.76 and a fifty-two week high of $82.40.

Great Southern Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 29th were given a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 29th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Great Southern Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GSBC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Great Southern Bancorp from $63.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Great Southern Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Great Southern Bancorp from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Great Southern Bancorp from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $65.00.

Insider Activity at Great Southern Bancorp

In other Great Southern Bancorp news, VP John M. Bugh sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.59, for a total value of $168,975.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 1,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $120,986.10. This represents a 58.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Mark A. Maples sold 2,387 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.95, for a total transaction of $164,583.65. Following the sale, the vice president owned 1,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $81,843.65. This trade represents a 66.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 13,687 shares of company stock worth $938,407. 29.75% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Great Southern Bancorp

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its holdings in Great Southern Bancorp by 177.7% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 48,227 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,954,000 after purchasing an additional 30,863 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in Great Southern Bancorp by 328.9% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 32,321 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,980,000 after buying an additional 24,786 shares in the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC increased its position in Great Southern Bancorp by 121.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 39,757 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,435,000 after buying an additional 21,806 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in Great Southern Bancorp during the 1st quarter worth $1,146,000. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP lifted its holdings in shares of Great Southern Bancorp by 69.0% during the fourth quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 26,857 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,653,000 after buying an additional 10,963 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 41.66% of the company’s stock.

About Great Southern Bancorp

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.