Exploring Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (GSBC) Investor Profile: Who’s Buying and Why?

You've seen Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (GSBC) trading and, like any good analyst, you're asking the core question: who is defintely buying this regional bank, and why are they comfortable with the current risk profile? The ownership data tells a clear story of a stock caught between conviction and caution right now, with institutions holding a significant stake of about 45.37%, while insiders still control a substantial 27.28% of the float, a high number for a public company. But look closer at the near-term activity: in the most recent quarter, 52 institutional investors added to their positions, but 67 others reduced their holdings, suggesting a real split in strategy-even giants like Blackrock are in the mix, having recently held 769,714 shares as of Q3 2025. Is this churn a sign of trouble, or simply smart money rebalancing after the bank reported a solid Q3 2025 preliminary diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.56? We need to map out if the buyers are focused on the bank's strong capital position, with stockholders' equity hitting $632.9 million as of September 30, 2025, or if the sellers see a near-term ceiling. What is the real driver behind this investor profile, and what does it mean for your next move?

Who Invests in Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (GSBC) and Why?

If you're looking at Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (GSBC), you are defintely asking the right question: who owns this regional bank and what is their playbook? The short answer is that the investor base is a balanced mix of large, passive institutional money and long-term-focused insiders, all drawn to the bank's defensive financial posture and reliable dividend. This isn't a high-growth tech stock; it's a stability play.

As of the most recent filings, the ownership structure shows a clear preference for stability and income. Institutional investors-the big mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs)-hold the largest slice, but insiders and individual investors still own a substantial, influential portion.

• Institutions (Mutual Funds, ETFs, etc.): Approximately 45.37%
• Insiders (Executives, Directors, 10% Owners): Approximately 27.28%
• Individuals/Retail Investors: Approximately 26.44%

The fact that insiders hold over a quarter of the company is a powerful signal. It means management's interests are very much aligned with yours, especially when you see them participating in dividend reinvestment plans (DRIPs), which is a common insider activity here.

The Institutional Anchor: Passive and Defensive Funds

The institutional ownership is dominated by the giants of the indexing world, which is typical for a solid regional bank stock. When you see names like BlackRock, Inc., The Vanguard Group, Inc., and State Street Corp on the shareholder list, you know a large chunk of the stock is held in passive index funds. These funds aren't making a directional bet on the stock; they own it because Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (GSBC) is a component of a small-cap or regional bank index, like the Russell 2000.

But the active institutional money is focused on the bank's 'fortress-like' capital position. For instance, in Q2 2025, the company's Tier 1 Leverage Ratio stood at a robust 11.5%, well above regulatory minimums, providing a significant buffer against economic stress. This capital strength is the core investment thesis for defensive investors in a volatile market.

Here's the quick math on why capital matters: a higher capital ratio means the bank is less likely to need to raise money or cut its dividend during a downturn.

Investment Motivations: Income and Undervalued Stability

The primary motivations for holding Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (GSBC) boil down to two things: reliable income and compelling valuation.

1. Dividend Income: The bank has paid a consistent dividend for 36 consecutive years, making it a favorite for income-focused investors. For the 2025 fiscal year, the annual dividend is $1.72 per share, translating to a dividend yield of approximately 3.00% at recent November 2025 prices. More importantly, the dividend payout ratio is low, ranging from 27.08% to 28.57% based on trailing earnings, meaning the dividend is highly sustainable and has room to grow.

2. Value Proposition: Many active investors view the stock as undervalued. In Q3 2025, the company's Price-to-Earnings (P/E) ratio was a healthy 9.61x, which is often below the peer average for regional banks. This valuation gap, coupled with strong profitability-Q3 2025 diluted earnings per share (EPS) was $1.56, beating analyst forecasts-attracts value investors looking for a discount on quality earnings.

You can dive deeper into the business model and history here: Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (GSBC): History, Ownership, Mission, How It Works & Makes Money.

Investment Strategies: Long-Term Value and Capital Return

The common strategies seen among Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (GSBC) investors are straightforward, avoiding the complex derivatives or short-term trading of larger, more volatile financial stocks.

• Long-Term Holding (The Core Strategy): This is the dominant approach. Investors buy for the stable dividend and the expectation that the regional bank's core banking franchise will continue to deliver consistent, albeit moderate, growth. The focus is on the steady expansion of the net interest margin (NIM), which reached 3.72% in Q3 2025.
• Value Investing (The Catalyst Strategy): Value funds are buying now, betting that the market will eventually re-rate the stock closer to its fair value. They are attracted by the low P/E and the management's focus on asset quality, with non-performing assets at a tiny 0.14% of total assets in Q3 2025. [cite: 16 in step 1]
• Capital Return Focus (The Activist Strategy): Active investors are also drawn to the company's commitment to returning capital to shareholders. The company announced a new stock repurchase authorization of 1 million shares in Q3 2025, which acts as a powerful tailwind for EPS growth by reducing the share count.

This capital return strategy is a clear signal that management sees the stock as cheap and prefers to buy back shares rather than pursue risky, large-scale acquisitions. It's a conservative, shareholder-friendly move.

Institutional Ownership and Major Shareholders of Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (GSBC)

You're looking at Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (GSBC) and trying to figure out who the big players are and what they're doing with their capital. That's the right way to think about a stock-institutional money drives volume and often signals confidence, or lack thereof, in a company's long-term strategy. The quick takeaway here is that institutional ownership is substantial, sitting around 45.37% of the float, and the largest holders are the usual suspects in the passive and quantitative investment world.

For a regional bank with a market capitalization of roughly $635.21 million, this level of institutional interest is a sign of solid, if unspectacular, stability. These aren't high-flying hedge funds looking for a quick flip; they are massive asset managers who own GSBC for its place in their index funds and diversified portfolios. They're in it for the long haul.

Top Institutional Investors and Their GSBC Holdings

When you peel back the layers on GSBC's investor base, you see a clear hierarchy dominated by the world's largest asset managers. As of the third quarter of 2025 (9/30/2025), the top holders are primarily firms known for their index and passively managed funds. This tells you the stock is a core component in many broad market or regional banking exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and mutual funds.

The three largest institutional holders collectively own a significant chunk of the company. Think of them as the bedrock of GSBC's shareholder base. Here's the quick math on the top five, based on their most recent public filings:

These five firms alone account for a massive portion of the institutional float. Blackrock, Inc. and Vanguard Group Inc. are the titans of passive investing, so their presence is defintely expected in a stable regional bank like GSBC. Dimensional Fund Advisors Lp, which focuses on quantitative strategies, is also a long-term anchor.

Recent Shifts: Institutional Investors Increasing or Decreasing Stakes?

The real story isn't just who owns the stock, but what they're doing now. The institutional trading activity in the third quarter of 2025 showed a mixed, but slightly cautious, picture. We saw 57 institutional investors adding shares, but 55 were decreasing their positions in the most recent quarter.

• Buyers Stepping In: THRIVENT FINANCIAL FOR LUTHERANS made a significant move, adding 51,169 shares in Q3 2025, which is a major vote of confidence. State Street Corp. also increased its stake by 27,861 shares, and American Century Companies Inc. added 24,131 shares.
• Sellers Taking Chips Off the Table: On the other side, ALLSPRING GLOBAL INVESTMENTS HOLDINGS, LLC removed a substantial 38,365 shares, a 23.4% reduction in their holding. Even the giants adjusted: Vanguard Group Inc. and Dimensional Fund Advisors Lp both trimmed their positions by over 5,500 shares each.
• Blackrock's Adjustment: It's worth noting that Blackrock, Inc. removed 25,146 shares in Q2 2025, a minor 3.2% cut, which is often just portfolio rebalancing, not a strategic exit.

This back-and-forth suggests that while some large funds are rebalancing away, perhaps due to sector-wide concerns about interest rate exposure, others are seeing value and accumulating shares. It's a healthy sign of a liquid, though contested, stock.

The Role of Large Investors in GSBC's Strategy and Stock Price

These large institutional investors play two critical roles for Great Southern Bancorp, Inc.: they provide essential liquidity and act as a powerful, if silent, governance check. You can't ignore their influence. Because they hold nearly half the company's shares, their collective action directly impacts the stock price. Heavy selling, even from a few large funds, can create significant downward pressure.

More importantly, institutional holders are the company's biggest audience for its strategic direction. They are keenly focused on capital allocation, which for a bank means the dividend policy-currently a quarterly dividend of $0.43 per common share as of September 2025-and how management is navigating the current interest rate environment. Their long-term presence encourages management to focus on sustainable growth and prudent risk management, not short-term speculative plays. If you want to understand the deeper principles guiding the company, you should check out the Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (GSBC).

The fact that the major holders are primarily passive index funds means they are less likely to demand radical strategic shifts, which contributes to GSBC's reputation as a stable, conservative regional bank. Their buying and selling is often a reaction to external factors, like index rebalancing or shifts in sector sentiment, rather than a direct critique of the bank's operational performance. Still, their sheer size makes them the ultimate arbiter of the stock's valuation floor.

Key Investors and Their Impact on Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (GSBC)

The investor profile for Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (GSBC) is dominated by large institutional money managers, a common sight for a stable regional bank, but the recent shifts in their holdings tell a story of cautious rebalancing. As of late 2025, institutional investors collectively own about 45.37% of the company, which is a key factor in maintaining stock stability, but their recent trading activity shows a slight trend of trimming positions.

Your main takeaway is that the stock's movement is largely dictated by the passive, index-driven decisions of the mega-funds, not activist pressure. They are buying for inclusion, not for a board seat. It's a classic regional bank setup.

The Big Three: Blackrock, Vanguard, and Dimensional

The most notable investors aren't activist hedge funds, but the behemoths of the asset management world: Blackrock, Inc., Dimensional Fund Advisors Lp, and Vanguard Group Inc. Their massive stakes reflect Great Southern Bancorp, Inc.'s inclusion in various index and passively managed funds (Exchange-Traded Funds or ETFs), which means they buy and sell based on the index's rules, not necessarily a deep dive into the bank's latest loan portfolio.

For a company with a market capitalization of roughly $635.21 million as of November 2025, these large holdings act as a significant anchor. Their presence signals a baseline level of stability and liquidity for the stock. You can see the scale of their positions in the table below, based on the most recent filings from the third quarter of 2025.

Recent Moves: A Mixed Signal of Rebalancing

The recent moves by these major holders are a bit mixed, indicating portfolio rebalancing rather than a strong directional conviction. While Blackrock, Inc. added a small number of shares, Dimensional Fund Advisors Lp and Vanguard Group Inc. both decreased their positions slightly in the third quarter of 2025. This trimming by the passive giants is often a reaction to the overall market's shift in sector weightings, not a direct judgment on the bank's preliminary Q3 2025 earnings of $1.56 per diluted common share.

Other notable, and larger, divestitures occurred earlier in the year, with FORVIS MAZARS WEALTH ADVISORS, LLC removing a significant 130,990 shares in Q1 2025. This kind of large-scale exit from smaller funds can put short-term pressure on the stock price. You need to watch for continued institutional outflows, which could limit upside. For a deeper dive into the bank's core performance, you should read Breaking Down Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (GSBC) Financial Health: Key Insights for Investors.

The key recent investor activity includes:

• Blackrock, Inc. increased its holding by 0.494% in Q3 2025.
• Dimensional Fund Advisors Lp cut its stake by 0.812% in Q3 2025.
• Insiders, who own a substantial 27.28%, are defintely committed, with recent small buys through their dividend reinvestment plan (DRIP) at a price of $59.9887 per share on October 14, 2025.

Investor Influence and The Insider Factor

The influence of the big institutional funds on Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. is mostly indirect. Their large, passive ownership provides capital stability, but they rarely engage in activism or demand major strategic shifts. The real decision-making power rests with the insiders-executives and directors-who hold a high percentage of the company's stock, currently over a quarter of all shares outstanding.

This high insider ownership, at 27.28%, suggests management's interests are closely aligned with long-term shareholder value, which is a positive signal for retail and smaller institutional investors. It means management is highly motivated to protect the bank's tangible common equity ratio, which stood at a solid 10.1% as of March 31, 2025, and to keep growing the quarterly dividend, which was recently increased to $0.43 per common share for Q3 2025.

Market Impact and Investor Sentiment

You're looking at Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (GSBC) and wondering what the big money thinks, and honestly, the institutional sentiment is best described as a cautious Neutral right now. This isn't a strong buy or a panicked sell; it's a regional bank managing its balance sheet well in a tough rate environment, and the major shareholders are making calculated, two-sided moves.

In the most recent quarter (Q2 2025), we saw a clear split: 52 institutional investors added to their positions, but 67 decreased their holdings. This tells you that for every fund manager seeing a deep value opportunity, another is taking some chips off the table. The total institutional ownership stands at a significant 41.66% of the stock, so their collective action defintely drives the price.

Here's the quick math on some of the notable shareholder activity from the first half of the 2025 fiscal year:

• FORVIS MAZARS WEALTH ADVISORS, LLC removed 130,990 shares (-100.0%) in Q1 2025, a complete exit.
• BlackRock, Inc. reduced its position by 25,146 shares (-3.2%) in Q2 2025, valued at an estimated $1,478,081.
• On the buy side, TREXQUANT INVESTMENT LP increased its stake by 17,398 shares (+305.0%) in Q2 2025, showing a strong belief in the near-term story.

The overall picture is a tug-of-war, with the company's strong capital position being the main anchor for the bulls, and concerns over loan growth keeping the bears active. You can review the foundational strategy driving this performance in their Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (GSBC).

Stock Market's Mixed Reaction to Earnings and Ownership

The stock market's response to Great Southern Bancorp, Inc.'s performance in 2025 has been a study in contradictions, proving that good earnings don't always guarantee a stock pop. The near-term risks and opportunities are mapped directly to the market's reaction to the company's core profitability, which is a key metric for a bank holding company.

When the company delivered its Q1 2025 preliminary earnings of $1.47 per diluted common share, beating the consensus estimate of $1.29, the stock price immediately rose by 3.55% in the following session. This positive reaction continued into Q2 2025, where the EPS of $1.72 significantly surpassed the $1.33 analyst forecast, causing the stock to jump 4.87% post-announcement. Investors were clearly rewarding the company's strong net interest margin (NIM) of 3.68% in Q2 2025 and its disciplined expense management.

But here's where the realism comes in: the Q3 2025 earnings beat-an EPS of $1.56 against a $1.48 forecast-was met with a stock price decline of 10.73%. This sharp drop wasn't about the bank's operational performance, which was solid, but rather a reaction to broader, bearish sentiment in the regional banking sector and a general market rotation away from rate-sensitive stocks at that time. One insider, John M Bugh, Vice President of a subsidiary, sold 1,750 shares for a total value of $100,992 on November 12, 2025, which is a minor signal but still adds to the cautious mood near the end of the year.

Analyst Consensus: Strong Fundamentals, Subdued Growth Outlook

The analyst community's perspective on Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. is a collective 'Hold,' which stems from a conflict between excellent execution and a challenging operating environment. They see a high-quality regional bank that's exceptionally well-managed, but they're still worried about where new business will come from.

The consensus rating is a Neutral or Hold, reflecting the dual nature of the company's performance. The key concern is loan growth, which has been subdued. For instance, the company faced a 4.7% decrease in total net loans in the Q3 2025 report. This lack of asset expansion is what's tempering the enthusiasm of the market and analysts alike.

The analysts' price targets for Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. in 2025 reflect this tempered outlook:

The core message here is that the bank's capital and liquidity are rock-solid-the tangible common equity ratio was a healthy 10.1% at March 31, 2025. But, in a competitive lending environment, strong capital doesn't translate to stock appreciation if the market can't see a clear path to significant loan book expansion. The analysts are giving credit for the profitability but holding back on a 'Buy' until loan growth re-accelerates. Your next step should be to monitor the Q4 2025 loan pipeline data for any signs of a turnaround.