Pacific Wealth Strategies Group Inc. Sells 2,112 Shares of Southern Company (The) $SO

Pacific Wealth Strategies Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 10.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,501 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,112 shares during the period. Southern accounts for approximately 1.1% of Pacific Wealth Strategies Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position. Pacific Wealth Strategies Group Inc.’s holdings in Southern were worth $1,653,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ameriflex Group Inc. boosted 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 period. Cheviot Value Management LLC bought a new stake in Southern in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Advantage Trust Co boosted its holdings in Southern by 1,428.6% in the 2nd quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 321 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Southern in the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southern in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. 64.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Southern Stock Performance

Shares of SO stock opened at $93.19 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.74. Southern Company has a 52 week low of $80.46 and a 52 week high of $100.83. The company has a market capitalization of $102.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.43. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $94.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $92.50.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.09. Southern had a net margin of 15.10% and a return on equity of 12.09%. The company had revenue of $7.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.04 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.39 earnings per share. The firm’s 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. On average, analysts expect that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of Southern from $78.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Southern from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $99.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised shares of Southern to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Southern currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $99.66.

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.