Key Points
- CEO Kimberly Greene sold 25,000 shares on March 30 at an average price of $96.67 for roughly $2.42M, cutting her stake by 19.44% to 103,602 shares (valued ~ $10.02M).
- Southern reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, missing estimates by $0.01, while revenue rose 10.1% year‑over‑year to $6.98 billion.
- The company pays a $0.74 quarterly dividend ($2.96 annual, ~3.0% yield), trades at a P/E of 24.8, and carries a MarketBeat consensus rating of "Hold" with an average price target of $98.08.
Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) CEO Kimberly Greene sold 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.67, for a total transaction of $2,416,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 103,602 shares in the company, valued at $10,015,205.34. This represents a 19.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.
Southern Price Performance
SO stock opened at $97.45 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.65. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $94.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $91.98. The company has a market capitalization of $107.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.41. Southern Company has a 52-week low of $83.09 and a 52-week high of $100.83.
Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.01). Southern had a return on equity of 12.52% and a net margin of 14.69%.The company had revenue of $6.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.41 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.50 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Southern Company will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Southern Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a $0.74 dividend. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. Southern's dividend payout ratio is presently 75.32%.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SO. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Southern during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Ankerstar Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Southern in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Southern during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp bought a new position in shares of Southern during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. 64.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of equities analysts have issued reports on SO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Southern from $104.00 to $93.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 15th. Evercore raised shares of Southern from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $111.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Southern in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Southern from $91.00 to $88.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Southern currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $98.08.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on SO
Southern Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is an Atlanta-based energy holding company that provides electric and gas utility services and owns power generation assets across the United States. Founded in 1945, the company operates a portfolio of regulated electric utilities and affiliated businesses that generate, transmit and distribute electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers.
Southern's principal regulated electric subsidiaries include Georgia Power, Alabama Power and Mississippi Power, which serve large portions of the southeastern United States.
Further Reading
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