Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC – Get Free Report) and ServisFirst Bancshares (NYSE:SFBS – Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability, dividends and risk.
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares Southern Missouri Bancorp and ServisFirst Bancshares”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Southern Missouri Bancorp | $187.76 million | 3.60 | $58.58 million | $5.46 | 11.05 |
| ServisFirst Bancshares | $981.18 million | 4.10 | $227.24 million | $4.67 | 15.78 |
Profitability
This table compares Southern Missouri Bancorp and ServisFirst Bancshares’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Southern Missouri Bancorp | 19.86% | 11.57% | 1.25% |
| ServisFirst Bancshares | 25.24% | 15.67% | 1.50% |
Institutional & Insider Ownership
49.5% of Southern Missouri Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 67.3% of ServisFirst Bancshares shares are held by institutional investors. 15.8% of Southern Missouri Bancorp shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 6.7% of ServisFirst Bancshares shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Risk and Volatility
Southern Missouri Bancorp has a beta of 0.98, meaning that its share price is 2% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ServisFirst Bancshares has a beta of 0.94, meaning that its share price is 6% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of current ratings for Southern Missouri Bancorp and ServisFirst Bancshares, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Southern Missouri Bancorp | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2.25 |
| ServisFirst Bancshares | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2.40 |
Southern Missouri Bancorp currently has a consensus price target of $62.83, suggesting a potential upside of 4.11%. ServisFirst Bancshares has a consensus price target of $88.00, suggesting a potential upside of 19.42%. Given ServisFirst Bancshares’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe ServisFirst Bancshares is more favorable than Southern Missouri Bancorp.
Dividends
Southern Missouri Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.7%. ServisFirst Bancshares pays an annual dividend of $1.34 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.8%. Southern Missouri Bancorp pays out 18.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. ServisFirst Bancshares pays out 28.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Southern Missouri Bancorp has raised its dividend for 13 consecutive years and ServisFirst Bancshares has raised its dividend for 10 consecutive years.
Summary
ServisFirst Bancshares beats Southern Missouri Bancorp on 12 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.
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.
About ServisFirst Bancshares
ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for ServisFirst Bank that provides various banking services to individual and corporate customers. It accepts demand, time, savings, and other deposits; checking, money market, and IRA accounts; and certificates of deposit. The company's loan products include commercial lending products, including seasonal, bridge, and term loans for working capital, expansion of the business, acquisition of property, and plant and equipment, as well as commercial lines of credit; commercial real estate loans, construction and development loans, and residential real estate loans; and consumer loans, such as home equity loans, vehicle financing, loans secured by deposits, and secured and unsecured personal loans. It also offers other banking products and services comprising telephone and mobile banking, Internet banking, direct deposit, traveler's checks, safe deposit boxes, attorney trust accounts, automatic account transfers, automated teller machines, and debit and credit card systems; treasury and cash management services; wire transfer, night depository, banking-by-mail, and remote capture services; and correspondent banking services to other financial institutions. In addition, the company holds and manages participations in residential mortgages and commercial real estate loans originated by ServisFirst Bank in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. The company was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama.
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