Guaranty Federal Bancshares, Inc. Announces a 14% Increase in Earnings per Share for Six Months Ended December 31, 2003


SPRINGFIELD, Mo., Jan. 16, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Guaranty Federal Bancshares, Inc, (Nasdaq:GFED), the holding company for Guaranty Bank, today announced earnings for the second quarter ended December 31, 2003, were $0.33 per share, ($923,000) up from the $0.31 per share ($868,000) the Company earned during the same quarter in the prior year. This represents a 6% increase in quarterly earnings per share. Earnings for the six-month period ending December 31, 2003 were $0.72 per share, ($2,000,000) up from the $0.63 per share, ($1,764,000) the Company earned during the same period in 2002. This represents a 14% increase in earnings per share when compared to the same period in the prior year.

In conjunction with the Company's conversion of the subsidiary Guaranty Federal Savings Bank from a federal savings bank to a state chartered trust company, Guaranty Bank, on June 27, 2003, the accounting and tax years of the Company will change to a calendar year basis beginning January 1, 2004. To transition from the fiscal year ended June 30, 2003 to the calendar year 2004, the Company will have a short fiscal year ended December 31, 2003 that will include the six months from July 1, 2003 to December 31, 2003.

The Company announced a plan to repurchase 300,000 shares of common stock on November 22, 2002. To date the Company has repurchased 58,806 shares of common stock under this plan at an average cost of $15.90 per share.

The discussion set forth above may contain forward-looking comments. Such comments are based upon the information currently available to management of the Company and management's perception thereof as of the date of this release. When used in this release, words such as "anticipates," "estimates," "believes," "expects," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results of the Company's operations could materially differ from those forward-looking comments. The differences could be caused by a number of factors or combination of factors including, but not limited to: changes in demand for banking services; changes in portfolio composition; changes in management strategy; increased competition from both bank and non-bank companies; changes in the general level of interest rates; the effect of regulatory or government legislative changes; technology changes; fluctuation in inflation; and other factors set forth in reports and other documents filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time.

Guaranty Federal Bancshares, Inc. has a subsidiary corporation offering full banking services. The principal subsidiary, Guaranty Bank, is located in Springfield, Mo., and has nine branches and 18 ATM locations located in Greene and Christian Counties. In addition Guaranty Bank is a member of the Privileged Status ATM network, which provides its customers surcharge free access to over 60 area ATM's and over 1,000 ATM's nationwide.


 Financial Highlights:
                             Quarter ended         Six Months ended
 
 Operating Data:         31-Dec-03   31-Dec-02   31-Dec-03   31-Dec-02
                         ---------   ---------   ---------   ---------
              (Dollar amounts are in thousands, except per share data)
 
 Total interest income   $   4,849       5,544       9,846      11,290
 Total interest
  expense                    2,165       2,966       4,491       6,086
 Provision for loan
  losses                       150         105         362         205
                         ---------   ---------   ---------   ---------
   Net interest income
    after provision
    for loan losses          2,534       2,473       4,993       4,999
 Noninterest income            858         889       2,089       1,752
 Noninterest expense         1,999       2,034       3,994       4,060
                         ---------   ---------   ---------   ---------
 Income before income
  tax                        1,393       1,328       3,088       2,691
 Income tax expense            470         460       1,088         927
                         ---------   ---------   ---------   ---------
 
 Net income              $     923         868       2,000       1,764
 Net income per          =========   =========   =========   =========
  share-basic            $    0.33   $    0.31   $    0.72   $    0.63
 Net income per          =========   =========   =========   =========
  share-diluted          $    0.32   $    0.30   $    0.69   $    0.62
                         =========   =========   =========   =========
 Annualized return on
  average assets             0.98%       0.93%       1.06%       0.94%
 Annualized return on
  average equity             9.65%       9.52%      10.56%       9.70%
 Net interest margin         3.02%       2.87%       2.99%       2.89%


 Financial Condition                   As of       As of
   Data:                             31-Dec-03   30-Jun-03
                                     ---------   ---------
 Cash and cash
  equivalents                        $  22,657      19,015
 Investments                            16,731      15,522
 Loans, net of
  allowance for loan
  losses                               332,930     336,838
  12/31/2003 - $3,086;
  6/30/2003 - $2,775
 Other assets                           15,239      18,776
                                     ---------   ---------
   Total Assets                      $ 387,557     390,151
                                     =========   =========
 
 Deposits                            $ 237,131     235,677
 FHLB advances                         108,837     114,619
 Other liabilities                       3,111       3,313
                                     ---------   ---------
   Total liabilities                 $ 349,079     353,609
 Stockholder's equity                   38,478      36,542
                                     ---------   ---------
   Total liabilities
    and stockholder
    equity                           $ 387,557     390,151
                                     =========   =========
 Book value per share                $   13.80       13.14
                                     =========   =========
 Non performing assets               $     749         513
                                     =========   =========


            

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