Leo Wealth LLC Has $886,000 Stake in Southern Company (The) $SO

Leo Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 123.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,157 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,617 shares during the period. Leo Wealth LLC’s holdings in Southern were worth $886,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Southern in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Southern in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Southern in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new position in shares of Southern in the third quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Southern by 120.1% in the third quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 361 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Southern Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE SO opened at $96.94 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $94.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $92.06. The firm has a market cap of $106.75 billion, a PE ratio of 24.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.41. Southern Company has a 1 year low of $83.09 and a 1 year high of $100.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.47.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $6.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.41 billion. Southern had a net margin of 14.69% and a return on equity of 12.52%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.50 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Southern Company will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $0.74 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 75.32%.

Insider Activity at Southern

In other Southern news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.67, for a total transaction of $2,416,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 103,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,015,205.34. This trade represents a 19.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Christopher Cummiskey sold 6,669 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.55, for a total transaction of $643,891.95. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 30,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,973,740. The trade was a 17.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $105.00 target price on shares of Southern in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $102.00 target price on shares of Southern in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $96.00 target price on shares of Southern and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Southern from $98.00 to $94.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Evercore upgraded shares of Southern from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $111.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $98.08.

Southern Company Profile

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.