Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. Reports Preliminary Second Quarter Earnings of $1.72 Per Diluted Common Share

Core Financial Performance - For the quarter ended June 30, 2025, the Company reported earnings of $1.72 per diluted common share, translating to a net income of $19.8 million, an increase from $1.45 per diluted common share and $17.0 million net income in the same quarter of 2024 [1][6] - The annualized return on average common equity was 12.81%, and the annualized return on average assets was 1.34%, both showing improvement from 12.03% and 1.17% respectively in the prior year [2] Selected Financial Data - Net interest income for the second quarter of 2025 was $50.963 million, up from $46.818 million in the same quarter of 2024, marking an increase of approximately 8.9% [4][5] - Non-interest income decreased to $8.212 million from $9.833 million year-over-year [4][13] - Non-interest expense decreased to $35.005 million from $36.409 million in the prior year [4][13] Asset Quality - Non-performing assets totaled $8.1 million at June 30, 2025, a decrease from $9.6 million at December 31, 2024, representing 0.14% of total assets [5][32] - The allowance for credit losses was 1.41% of total loans, reflecting an increase from 1.36% at the end of the previous quarter [31] Capital and Liquidity - The Company's capital ratios remained strong, with a Tier 1 Leverage Ratio of 11.5% and a Common Equity Tier 1 Capital Ratio of 13.0% as of June 30, 2025 [16] - Total stockholders' equity increased to $622.4 million, representing 10.6% of total assets, with a book value of $54.61 per common share [16] - The Company had secured borrowing line availability of $1.22 billion at the FHLBank and $338.9 million at the Federal Reserve Bank [25] Loan Portfolio - Total net loans decreased by $156.1 million, or 3.3%, from $4.69 billion at December 31, 2024, to $4.53 billion at June 30, 2025 [27] - The largest decrease was in construction loans, which fell by $79.1 million [27] Stock Repurchase and Dividends - The Company repurchased nearly 176,000 shares of common stock at an average price of $55.11 during the second quarter of 2025 [22] - A regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.40 per common share was declared, reducing stockholders' equity by $14.4 million [22]