Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) Shares Will Pay Quarterly Dividend of $0.76

Key Points

• Southern declared a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, payable December 7 to shareholders of record November 16. The dividend annualizes to $3.04 per share and yields approximately 3.4%.
• The dividend appears supported by earnings, with a current payout ratio of 66.5% and an expected future payout ratio of 61.8% based on projected earnings of $4.92 per share.
• Southern’s latest quarterly earnings exceeded expectations, with EPS of $1.13 versus the $1.01 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $6.98 billion. The stock recently traded at $90.65, down 0.1%.

Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, October 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share by the utilities provider on Monday, December 7th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th.

Southern has a dividend payout ratio of 66.5% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Southern to earn $4.92 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $3.04 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 61.8%.

Southern Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE SO traded down $0.06 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $90.65. The company had a trading volume of 1,180,709 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,824,059. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $87.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $92.05. The stock has a market cap of $104.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.74, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.31. Southern has a 52-week low of $81.69 and a 52-week high of $99.58.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.12. Southern had a net margin of 15.43% and a return on equity of 12.93%. The firm had revenue of $6.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.23 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.79 EPS. Southern's revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Southern will post 4.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Southern

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Evergreen Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southern during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Bullseye Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Southern in the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Southern in the second quarter valued at $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.10% of the company's stock.

About Southern

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.

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