Client First Capital LLC Invests $222,000 in Southern Company (The) $SO

Client First Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund purchased 2,418 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $222,000. Southern accounts for approximately 0.1% of Client First Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SO. Ameriflex Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Southern by 275.0% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Cheviot Value Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Advantage Trust Co lifted its holdings in Southern by 1,428.6% during the second quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 321 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new position in Southern in the first quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Southern in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. 64.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Southern Stock Up 0.9%

Southern stock opened at $91.97 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $94.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $92.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. Southern Company has a 1-year low of $80.46 and a 1-year high of $100.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $101.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.64, a P/E/G ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.45.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.09. Southern had a return on equity of 12.09% and a net margin of 15.10%.The firm had revenue of $7.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.04 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.39 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be given a $0.74 dividend. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on SO shares. Scotiabank reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $99.00 target price on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $99.00 target price on shares of Southern in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Southern in a report on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $112.00 price target on the stock. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price objective on Southern from $78.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $99.56.

About Southern

The Southern Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. The company also develops, constructs, acquires, owns, and manages power generation assets, including renewable energy projects and sells electricity in the wholesale market; and distributes natural gas in Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee, as well as provides gas marketing services, gas distribution operations, and gas pipeline investments operations.