Aurora Investment Counsel Takes Position in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO)

Aurora Investment Counsel purchased a new position in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 27,504 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,529,000. Southern comprises about 1.4% of Aurora Investment Counsel's investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Southern in the 4th quarter worth about $848,019,000. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in Southern by 325.7% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,322,931 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $355,864,000 after buying an additional 3,307,527 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Southern by 11,230.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,954,213 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $179,690,000 after buying an additional 1,936,965 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in Southern by 562.9% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,368,788 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $112,679,000 after buying an additional 1,162,288 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in Southern by 23.2% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,208,872 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $428,794,000 after buying an additional 979,756 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.10% of the company's stock.

Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SO traded down $0.18 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $92.50. 5,215,099 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,728,822. The company's 50 day moving average price is $89.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $88.29. The firm has a market cap of $101.66 billion, a PE ratio of 22.08, a PEG ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.65. Southern Company has a 52 week low of $80.26 and a 52 week high of $94.45.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.03. Southern had a return on equity of 12.70% and a net margin of 16.54%. The company had revenue of $7.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.03 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 17.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Southern Company will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th were given a dividend of $0.74 per share. This is a positive change from Southern's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.20%. Southern's dividend payout ratio is currently 70.64%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on SO. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $93.00 price target on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Southern from $83.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Southern from $94.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Southern from $94.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $98.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $93.13.

Southern Company Profile

The Southern Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. The company also develops, constructs, acquires, owns, and manages power generation assets, including renewable energy projects and sells electricity in the wholesale market; and distributes natural gas in Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee, as well as provides gas marketing services, gas distribution operations, and gas pipeline investments operations.