Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC Invests $4.05 Million in Southern Company (The) $SO

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 42,293 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,048,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Ankerstar Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Southern in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Evergreen Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southern during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southern during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SO opened at $92.83 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $106.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.26, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.34. Southern Company has a 52 week low of $83.80 and a 52 week high of $100.83. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $94.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $94.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $6.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.23 billion. Southern had a net margin of 15.43% and a return on equity of 12.93%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.79 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Southern Company will post 4.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 72.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Southern from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $104.00 price target on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group set a $99.00 price target on Southern in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Mizuho set a $106.00 price objective on Southern in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $100.09.

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.