Southern Company (The) $SO Shares Sold by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,057,031 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 35,523 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Southern were worth $97,067,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of SO. Ameriflex Group Inc. increased its holdings 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 during the last quarter. Cheviot Value Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southern in the first quarter worth $28,000. Advantage Trust Co increased its position in shares of 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. acquired a new stake in shares of Southern in the first quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Southern in the first quarter valued at $36,000. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SO opened at $90.94 on Friday. Southern Company has a 12 month low of $80.46 and a 12 month high of $100.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $94.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $92.49.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.09. Southern had a return on equity of 12.09% and a net margin of 15.10%.The company had revenue of $7.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.39 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Southern has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.300-4.30 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 0.540-0.540 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be paid a $0.74 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. Southern’s payout ratio is currently 73.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Southern in a report on Monday, October 27th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Southern in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $112.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Southern from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Southern from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $99.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $99.56.

Southern Profile

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.