4,490 Shares in Southern Company (The) $SO Bought by Wealth Advisory Team LLC

Key Points

• Wealth Advisory Team LLC purchased 4,490 shares of Southern Company, valued at approximately $412,000, making Southern its 29th largest position.
• Southern Company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the last quarter, missing analysts' estimates by $0.08, despite a 7.9% increase in revenue year-over-year.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.74 per share, yielding 3.0%, with a payout ratio of 76.09%.

Wealth Advisory Team LLC purchased a new position in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 4,490 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $412,000. Southern comprises approximately 0.4% of Wealth Advisory Team LLC's holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. lifted its position in Southern by 275.0% in the second quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Cheviot Value Management LLC purchased a new stake in Southern in the first quarter worth $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Southern in the first quarter worth $33,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Southern in the first quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Saudi Central Bank purchased a new stake in Southern in the first quarter worth $40,000. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Southern Price Performance

Shares of SO stock opened at $98.23 on Friday. Southern Company has a 1-year low of $80.46 and a 1-year high of $98.36. The stock's 50-day moving average is $93.62 and its 200 day moving average is $91.73. The company has a market cap of $108.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.25, a PEG ratio of 3.40 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.54.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.99 by ($0.08). Southern had a net margin of 15.10% and a return on equity of 12.09%. The company had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.70 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.10 EPS. Southern's revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Southern has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 1.500-1.500 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 4.200-4.300 EPS. Research analysts predict that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were given a dividend of $0.74 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.09%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group increased their target price on Southern from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. Barclays increased their target price on Southern from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Mizuho increased their target price on Southern from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Scotiabank restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $99.00 price target on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Southern from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $96.31.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Southern news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 13,158 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total value of $1,250,010.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 93,661 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,897,795. This trade represents a 12.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.