Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $98.24 According to Analysts

Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the nineteen analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have given a hold recommendation and eight have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $98.24.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on SO shares. HSBC initiated coverage on shares of Southern in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $99.50 target price for the company. KeyCorp dropped their price target on shares of Southern from $79.00 to $74.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Southern from $96.00 to $95.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Southern from $101.00 to $94.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Southern from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 19th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Summit Global Investments boosted its position in Southern by 65.6% during the third quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 6,863 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $569,000 after acquiring an additional 2,719 shares during the last quarter. MGO One Seven LLC boosted its stake in Southern by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 61,478 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,096,000 after buying an additional 2,283 shares during the last quarter. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. grew its holdings in Southern by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. now owns 52,018 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,312,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the period. Americana Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Southern by 11.6% during the 3rd quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 23,926 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,983,000 after acquiring an additional 2,485 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Modera Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Southern by 21.2% during the 3rd quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,773 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,142,000 after acquiring an additional 2,413 shares during the period. 64.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Southern Stock Down 1.3%

Southern stock opened at $91.48 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $105.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.94, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.31. Southern has a 1-year low of $81.69 and a 1-year high of $99.58. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $87.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $92.29.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 12.93% and a net margin of 15.43%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.79 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Southern will post 4.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 7th. Investors of record on Monday, November 16th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.90%.

Southern Company Profile

Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is an energy holding company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Through its subsidiaries, the company generates, transmits, distributes and sells electricity, while also providing natural gas distribution and related energy services.

Southern’s electric utility operations include Alabama Power, Georgia Power and Mississippi Power, which serve customers across Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. The company’s generation portfolio includes nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric and renewable energy resources.