Creekmur Asset Management LLC Buys Shares of 1,122 The Southern Company (NYSE:SO)

Creekmur Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 1,122 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $79,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SO. Rockline Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern during the 4th quarter worth $1,945,000. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Southern during the 4th quarter worth $16,067,000. Angeles Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Southern by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. Angeles Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,202 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $365,000 after purchasing an additional 612 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Southern by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 65,937 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,624,000 after purchasing an additional 2,691 shares during the period. Finally, Zullo Investment Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Southern by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Zullo Investment Group Inc. now owns 3,437 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $241,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Southern Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of Southern stock traded down $0.04 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $78.65. 2,444,513 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,837,078. The Southern Company has a twelve month low of $61.56 and a twelve month high of $80.84. The company has a market cap of $86.00 billion, a PE ratio of 20.32, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $75.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $71.79.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The utilities provider reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.13. Southern had a return on equity of 12.07% and a net margin of 16.74%. The business had revenue of $6.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.59 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.79 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Southern Company will post 3.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 20th were given a dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.66%. This is a positive change from Southern’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 17th. Southern’s payout ratio is presently 74.42%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $76.00 price target (up previously from $72.00) on shares of Southern in a research note on Monday, April 1st. UBS Group lowered Southern from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $78.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Southern from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 28th. Mizuho increased their target price on Southern from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, Scotiabank cut their target price on Southern from $80.00 to $77.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Southern has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $76.36.

Insider Transactions at Southern

In related news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 9,126 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.04, for a total value of $684,815.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 121,504 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,117,660.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Southern Company 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.