SOUTHERN MISSOURI BANCORP REPORTS PRELIMINARY RESULTS FOR FOURTH QUARTER OF FISCAL 2025; DECLARES QUARTERLY DIVIDEND OF $0.25 PER COMMON SHARE; CONFERENCE CALL SCHEDULED FOR THURSDAY, JULY 24, AT 9:30 AM CENTRAL TIME

Core Viewpoint - Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. reported a preliminary net income of $15.8 million for Q4 fiscal 2025, marking a 16.7% increase year-over-year, driven by higher net interest income and lower tax provisions [1][2]. Financial Performance - Preliminary net income for fiscal year 2025 was $58.6 million, an increase of $8.4 million compared to fiscal 2024, with diluted earnings per share rising to $5.18 from $4.42 [1]. - Earnings per diluted common share for Q4 fiscal 2025 were $1.39, up $0.20 or 16.8% from the same quarter last year [3]. - The annualized return on average assets (ROA) was 1.27%, and the return on average common equity (ROE) was 11.8%, compared to 1.17% and 11.2% respectively in the same quarter last year [3]. Income and Expenses - Net interest income for Q4 fiscal 2025 was $40.3 million, a 14.9% increase from the previous year, attributed to a 7.9% rise in average interest-earning assets and a 21 basis point increase in net interest margin [16]. - Noninterest income decreased by 6.3% to $7.3 million, primarily due to lower loan servicing fees and changes in tax credit accounting [19]. - Noninterest expenses rose by 3.9% to $26.0 million, driven by increased legal fees and data processing expenses [20]. Balance Sheet Highlights - Total assets reached $5.0 billion, reflecting a 9.0% increase year-over-year, primarily due to growth in net loans and cash equivalents [6]. - Gross loan balances increased by $76.2 million in Q4 and by $249.9 million or 6.5% for the entire fiscal year [3][8]. - Deposit balances increased by $19.9 million in Q4 and by $338.3 million or 8.6% for the fiscal year [3][14]. Credit Quality - The provision for credit losses (PCL) was $2.5 million in Q4, up from $900,000 in the same period last year, driven by higher net charge-offs [18]. - Nonperforming loans (NPLs) increased to $23.0 million, or 0.56% of gross loans, compared to $6.7 million or 0.17% a year earlier [11]. - The allowance for credit losses (ACL) totaled $51.6 million, representing 1.26% of gross loans, down from 1.36% a year ago [12]. Dividends and Shareholder Returns - A quarterly cash dividend of $0.25 per share was declared, marking the 125th consecutive quarterly dividend, representing an 8.7% increase from the previous dividend [4][3]. - The tangible book value per share increased to $41.87, a 14.1% rise compared to the previous year [3].