GSA Capital Partners LLP Purchases Shares of 9,794 Southern Company (The) $SO

GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 9,794 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $937,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Evergreen Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Southern in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southern during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Ankerstar Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Southern in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southern in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southern Price Performance

SO opened at $92.12 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. Southern Company has a 52-week low of $83.80 and a 52-week high of $100.83. The company has a 50 day moving average of $94.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $94.40. The company has a market cap of $105.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.34.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $6.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.23 billion. Southern had a net margin of 15.43% and a return on equity of 12.93%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.79 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Southern Company will post 4.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $104.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a report on Friday, May 1st. Mizuho set a $106.00 target price on Southern in a report on Friday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Southern from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently 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.