Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC Invests $1.94 Million in Southern Company (The) $SO

Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 20,504 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,943,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Truvestments Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Southern by 46.5% during the first quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 4,436 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $408,000 after buying an additional 1,407 shares during the last quarter. Northstar Financial Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Southern by 19.8% in the first quarter. Northstar Financial Companies Inc. now owns 8,209 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $755,000 after acquiring an additional 1,358 shares during the period. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of Southern during the first quarter valued at approximately $248,000. Trexquant Investment LP bought a new position in Southern during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,514,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Southern in the 1st quarter worth approximately $66,000. 64.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Southern from $98.00 to $94.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Southern from $104.00 to $93.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Southern from $107.00 to $99.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Southern in a research report on Monday, October 27th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Southern from $104.00 to $93.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $96.21.

Southern Trading Up 0.8%

SO stock opened at $87.05 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.59. Southern Company has a 1-year low of $80.46 and a 1-year high of $100.83. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $90.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $92.11. The company has a market capitalization of $95.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.55, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.45.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.09. Southern had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 12.52%. The firm had revenue of $7.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.39 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Southern Company will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th were paid a $0.74 dividend. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 17th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.27%.

About Southern

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.