SOUTHERN MISSOURI BANCORP REPORTS PRELIMINARY RESULTS FOR SECOND QUARTER OF FISCAL 2025; DECLARES QUARTERLY DIVIDEND OF $0.23 PER COMMON SHARE; CONFERENCE CALL SCHEDULED FOR TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, AT 9:30 AM CENTRAL TIME

Poplar Bluff, Missouri, Jan. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. ("Company”) (NASDAQ: SMBC), the parent corporation of Southern Bank ("Bank”), today announced preliminary net income for the second quarter of fiscal 2025 of $14.7 million, an increase of $2.5 million, or 20.2%, as compared to the same period of the prior fiscal year. The increase was attributable to increases in net interest income and noninterest income, partially offset by increases in noninterest expense, income taxes, and provision for credit losses. Preliminary net income was $1.30 per fully diluted common share for the second quarter of fiscal 2025, an increase of $0.23 as compared to the $1.07 per fully diluted common share reported for the same period of the prior fiscal year.

Highlights for the second quarter of fiscal 2025:

• Earnings per common share (diluted) were $1.30, up $0.23, or 21.5%, as compared to the same quarter a year ago, and up $0.20, or 18.2% from the first quarter of fiscal 2025, the linked quarter.

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• Annualized return on average assets ("ROAA”) was 1.21%, while annualized return on average common equity was 11.5%, as compared to 1.07% and 10.6%, respectively, in the same quarter a year ago, and 1.07% and 10.0%, respectively, in the first quarter of fiscal 2025, the linked quarter.
• Net interest margin for the quarter was 3.36%, as compared to 3.25% reported for the year ago period, and 3.37% reported for the first quarter of fiscal 2025, the linked quarter. Net interest income increased $3.7 million, or 10.6% compared to the same quarter a year ago, and increased $1.5 million, or 4.0%, from the first quarter of fiscal 2025, the linked quarter.
• Noninterest income was up 21.7% for the quarter, as compared to the same quarter a year ago, primarily as a result of losses realized on sale of available-for-sale (AFS) securities in the prior comparable quarter, and down 4.3% from the first quarter of fiscal 2025, the linked quarter.
• Gross loan balances as of December 31, 2024, increased by $60.5 million, or 1.5%, as compared to September 30, 2024, and by $295.1 million, or 7.9%, as compared to December 31, 2023.
• Cash equivalent balances as of December 31, 2024, increased by $70.5 million as compared to September 30, 2024, but decreased by $71.0 million as compared to December 31, 2023.
• Deposit balances increased by $170.5 million, or 4.2%, as compared to September 30, 2024, and by $225.1 million, or 5.6%, as compared to December 31, 2023. The increase compared to the linked quarter was primarily due to seasonal inflows of deposits from agricultural and public unit depositors.
• Tangible book value per share was $38.91, having increased by $4.26, or 12.3%, as compared to December 31, 2023.
• The current period effective tax rate was 23.7%, as compared to 20.6% in the same quarter of the prior fiscal year. The effective tax rate for the December 31, 2024, quarter was elevated due a $380,000 adjustment of tax accruals attributable to completed merger activity.

Dividend Declared:

The Board of Directors, on January 21, 2025, declared a quarterly cash dividend on common stock of $0.23, payable February 28, 2025, to stockholders of record at the close of business on February 14, 2025, marking the 123rd consecutive quarterly dividend since the inception of the Company. The Board of Directors and management believe the payment of a quarterly cash dividend enhances stockholder value and demonstrates our commitment to and confidence in our future prospects.

Conference Call:

The Company will host a conference call to review the information provided in this press release on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, at 9:30 a.m., central time. The call will be available live to interested parties by calling 1-833-470-1428 in the United States and from all other locations. Participants should use participant access code 230612. Telephone playback will be available beginning one hour following the conclusion of the call through February 1, 2025. The playback may be accessed by dialing 1-866-813-9403, and using the conference passcode 279309.

Balance Sheet Summary:

The Company experienced balance sheet growth in the first six months of fiscal 2025, with total assets of $4.9 billion at December 31, 2024, reflecting an increase of $303.4 million, or 6.6%, as compared to June 30, 2024. Growth primarily reflected increases in net loans receivable, cash and cash equivalents, and AFS securities.

Cash and cash equivalents were a combined $146.1 million at December 31, 2024, an increase of $84.7 million, or 137.9%, as compared to June 30, 2024. The increase was primarily the result of strong deposit generation that outpaced loan growth and AFS securities purchases during the period. AFS securities were $468.1 million at December 31, 2024, up $40.2 million, or 9.4%, as compared to June 30, 2024.

Loans, net of the allowance for credit losses (ACL), were $4.0 billion at December 31, 2024, increasing by $175.0 million, or 4.6%, as compared to June 30, 2024. The Company noted growth primarily in drawn construction, 1-4 family residential, commercial and industrial, agricultural production loan draws, owner occupied commercial real estate, and agriculture real estate loan balances. This was somewhat offset by a decrease in loans secured by non-owner occupied commercial real estate, multi-family property, and consumer loans. The table below illustrates changes in loan balances by type over recent periods:

Loans anticipated to fund in the next 90 days totaled $172.5 million at December 31, 2024, as compared to $168.0 million at September 30, 2024, and $140.5 million at December 31, 2023.

The Bank's concentration in non-owner occupied commercial real estate, as defined for regulatory purposes, is estimated at 316.9% of Tier 1 capital and ACL at December 31, 2024, as compared to 317.5% as of June 30, 2024, with these loans representing 41.0% of gross loans at December 31, 2024. Multi-family residential real estate, hospitality (hotels/restaurants), care facilities, retail stand-alone, and strip centers are the most common collateral types within the non-owner occupied commercial real estate loan portfolio. The multi-family residential real estate loan portfolio commonly includes loans collateralized by properties currently in the low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) program or that have exited the program. The hospitality and retail stand-alone segments include primarily franchised businesses; care facilities consisting mainly of skilled nursing and assisted living centers; and strip centers, which can be defined as non-mall shopping centers with a variety of tenants. Non-owner-occupied office property types included 33 loans totaling $24.2 million, or 0.60% of gross loans at December 31, 2024, none of which were adversely classified, and are generally comprised of smaller spaces with diverse tenants. The Company continues to monitor its commercial real estate concentration and the individual segments closely.

Nonperforming loans (NPLs) were $8.3 million, or 0.21% of gross loans, at December 31, 2024, as compared to $6.7 million, or 0.17% of gross loans at June 30, 2024. Nonperforming assets (NPAs) were $10.8 million, or 0.22% of total assets, at December 31, 2024, as compared to $10.6 million, or 0.23% of total assets, at June 30, 2024. The rise in the total dollar of NPAs reflects an increase in NPLs, which was largely offset by a reduction in other real estate owned due to property sales. The increase in NPLs was primarily attributable to the addition of three unrelated loans collateralized by single-family residential property, totaling $1.4 million.

Our ACL at December 31, 2024, totaled $54.7 million, representing 1.36% of gross loans and 659% of NPLs, as compared to an ACL of $52.5 million, representing 1.36% of gross loans and 786% of NPLs, at June 30, 2024. The Company has estimated its expected credit losses as of December 31, 2024, under ASC 326-20, and management believes the ACL as of that date was adequate based on that estimate. There remains, however, significant uncertainty as borrowers adjust to relatively high market interest rates, although the Federal Reserve has reduced short-term rates somewhat during this fiscal year. Qualitative adjustments in the Company's ACL model were increased compared to June 30, 2024, due to various factors that are relevant to determining expected collectability of credit. The Company decreased the allowance attributable to classified hotel loans that have been slow to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic due to updated collateral appraisals, which provided a more favorable assessment than the Company's prior period estimates. Additionally, provision for credit loss (PCL) was required due to loan growth in the second quarter of fiscal year 2025. As a percentage of average loans outstanding, the Company recorded net charge offs of 0.02% (annualized) during the current period, as compared to 0.10% for the same period of the prior fiscal year.

Total liabilities were $4.4 billion at December 31, 2024, an increase of $279.7 million, or 6.8%, as compared to June 30, 2024.

Deposits were $4.2 billion at December 31, 2024, an increase of $267.6 million, or 6.8%, as compared to June 30, 2024. The deposit portfolio saw year-to-date increases primarily in certificates of deposit and savings accounts, as customers continued to move balances into high yield savings accounts and special rate time deposits in the relatively high rate environment. Public unit balances totaled $565.9 million at December 31, 2024, a decrease of $28.7 million compared to June 30, 2024, but an increase of $55.4 million, as compared to $510.5 million at September 30, 2024. Public unit balances increased compared to September 30, 2024, the linked quarter, due to seasonal inflows, but decreased year-to-date due to the loss of a large local public unit depositor. Brokered deposits totaled $254.0 million at December 31, 2024, an increase of $80.3 million as compared to June 30, 2024, but a decrease of $19.1 million compared to September 30, 2024, the linked quarter. Year-to-date, the Company increased brokered deposits due to more attractive pricing for brokered certificates of deposit relative to local market rates and the need to meet seasonal loan demand, and to build on-balance sheet liquidity. The average loan-to-deposit ratio for the second quarter of fiscal 2025 was 96.4%, as compared to 96.3% for the quarter ended June 30, 2024, and 94.3% for the same period of the prior fiscal year. The loan-to-deposit ratio at period end December 31, 2024, was 95.6%. The table below illustrates changes in deposit balances by type over recent periods:

FHLB advances were $107.1 million at December 31, 2024, an increase of $5.0 million, or 4.9%, as compared to June 30, 2024.

The Company's stockholders' equity was $512.4 million at December 31, 2024, an increase of $23.6 million, or 4.8%, as compared to June 30, 2024. The increase was attributable primarily to earnings retained after cash dividends paid, in combination with a $1.0 million reduction in accumulated other comprehensive losses (AOCL) as the market value of the Company's investments appreciated due to the decrease in market interest rates. The AOCL totaled $16.4 million at December 31, 2024 compared $17.5 million at June 30, 2024. The Company does not hold any securities classified as held-to-maturity.

Quarterly Income Statement Summary:

The Company's net interest income for the three-month period ended December 31, 2024, was $38.1 million, an increase of $3.7 million, or 10.6%, as compared to the same period of the prior fiscal year. The increase was attributable to a 6.7% increase in the average balance of interest-earning assets and an 11-basis point increase in the net interest margin, from 3.25% to 3.36%, as the 32-basis point increase in the yield on interest-earning assets was partially offset by a 22-basis point increase in cost of interest-bearing liabilities.

Loan discount accretion and deposit premium amortization related to the May 2020 acquisition of Central Federal Savings & Loan Association, the February 2022 merger of FortuneBank, and the January 2023 acquisition of Citizens Bank & Trust resulted in $987,000 in net interest income for the three-month period ended December 31, 2024, as compared to $1.5 million in net interest income for the same period a year ago. Combined, this component of net interest income contributed nine basis points to net interest margin in the three-month period ended December 31, 2024, compared to 14 basis points during the same period of the prior fiscal year, and as compared to a nine basis point contribution in the linked quarter, ended September 30, 2024, when the net interest margin was 3.37%.

The Company recorded a PCL of $932,000 in the three-month period ended December 31, 2024, as compared to a PCL of $900,000 in the same period of the prior fiscal year. The current period PCL was the result of a $501,000 provision attributable to the ACL for loan balances outstanding and a $431,000 provision attributable to the allowance for off-balance sheet credit exposures.

The Company's noninterest income for the three-month period ended December 31, 2024, was $6.9 million, an increase of $1.2 million, or 21.7%, as compared to the same period of the prior fiscal year. The increase was primarily attributable to the Company's realization of a $682,000 loss on sale of AFS securities in the year-ago period, as well as increases in deposit account charges and related fees, other loan fees, and wealth management fees. These increases were partially offset by lower net realized gains on sale of loans, which were primarily driven by a reduction in gains on sale of Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, and lower loan late charges.

Noninterest expense for the three-month period ended December 31, 2024, was $24.9 million, an increase of $1.0 million, or 4.3%, as compared to the same period of the prior fiscal year. The increase was attributable primarily to increases in compensation and benefits, legal and professional fees, other noninterest expense, and occupancy expenses. The increase in compensation and benefits expense was primarily due to a trend increase in employee headcount, as well as annual merit increases. Legal and professional fees were elevated due to consulting fees tied to internal projects, recruiter costs, and the settlement of a legal matter. Other noninterest expense increased due to increased expenses associated with SBA loans and costs for employee travel and training. Lastly, occupancy and equipment expenses increased primarily due to depreciation on recent capitalized expenditures, including buildings, equipment, and signage. Partially offsetting these increases from the prior year period are lower data processing and telecommunication expenses, and a reduction in intangible amortization, as the core deposit intangible recognized in an older merger was fully amortized in the prior quarter.

The efficiency ratio for the three-month period ended December 31, 2024, was 55.3%, as compared to 58.5% in the same period of the prior fiscal year. The change was attributable to net interest income and noninterest income growing faster than operating expenses.

The income tax provision for the three-month period ended December 31, 2024, was $4.5 million, an increase of $1.4 million, or 43.3%, as compared to the same period of the prior fiscal year. The current period effective tax rate was 23.7%, as compared to 20.6% in the same quarter of the prior fiscal year. The effective tax rate for the December 31, 2024, quarter was elevated due to an adjustment of tax accruals attributable to completed merger & acquisition activity.

Forward-Looking Information:

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release may be deemed to be forward-looking statements that are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements, including: potential adverse impacts to the economic conditions in the Company's local market areas, other markets where the Company has lending relationships, or other aspects of the Company's business operations or financial markets, expected cost savings, synergies and o