Southern (NYSE:SO) EVP Sells $306,002.73 in Stock

Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) EVP Sterling Jr. Spainhour sold 3,333 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.81, for a total value of $306,002.73. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 31,886 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,927,453.66. This trade represents a 9.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Southern Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of SO opened at $93.74 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.84. Southern Company has a one year low of $81.69 and a one year high of $99.58. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $88.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $92.56. The company has a market capitalization of $109.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.30.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $8.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.38 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 13.57% and a net margin of 16.00%. Southern’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.54 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Southern Company will post 4.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Announces Dividend

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 issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southern

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Uptick Partners LLC lifted its position in Southern by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Uptick Partners LLC now owns 7,601 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $734,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Optivise Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Southern by 3.8% during the third quarter. Optivise Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,055 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $253,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. KCM Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Southern by 0.3% in the first quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 34,328 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,313,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Compass Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Southern by 3.7% in the third quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,265 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $271,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Finally, Advisortrust Partners LLC increased its stake in Southern by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Advisortrust Partners LLC now owns 2,601 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $251,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the period. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on SO shares. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, November 7th. HSBC assumed coverage on shares of Southern in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $99.50 price objective for the company. Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc. dropped their target price on shares of Southern from $96.50 to $85.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 28th. Finally, Capital One Financial set a $99.00 price target on shares of Southern in a report on Monday. Eight 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $97.32.

About Southern

Southern Company is an energy holding company based in Atlanta, Georgia. Through its subsidiaries, it generates, transmits and distributes electricity and provides natural gas service, primarily across the southeastern United States. Its electric utility businesses include Alabama Power, Georgia Power and Mississippi Power, which serve customers in their respective states. Southern Company also owns Southern Power, which develops and operates wholesale power generation assets, and Southern Company Gas, whose businesses distribute natural gas to customers in several states.