AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC Trims Stake in Southern Company (The) $SO

Key Points

• AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Southern Company by 15.3%, holding 14,873 shares valued at $1,366,000 after selling 2,680 shares in the second quarter.
• In recent insider activity, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 13,158 shares for over $1.25 million, marking a 12.32% decrease in her ownership.
• Southern Company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.74 per share, representing a 3.0% yield and a dividend payout ratio of 76.09%.

AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC reduced its position in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 15.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 14,873 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 2,680 shares during the period. AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Southern were worth $1,366,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Southern by 23.2% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 21,253 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,954,000 after acquiring an additional 4,005 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Southern by 12.0% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,376 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $494,000 after acquiring an additional 578 shares during the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Southern by 29.3% during the 1st quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 29,060 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,671,000 after acquiring an additional 6,580 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its stake in Southern by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 128,394 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $11,805,000 after acquiring an additional 3,445 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. raised its stake in Southern by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 36,044 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,314,000 after acquiring an additional 2,500 shares during the last quarter. 64.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 13,158 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total transaction of $1,250,010.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 93,661 shares in the company, valued at $8,897,795. This trade represents a 12.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SO opened at $98.44 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $93.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $91.95. The stock has a market cap of $108.29 billion, a PE ratio of 25.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.74. Southern Company has a one year low of $80.46 and a one year high of $100.84.

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

Southern Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Southern from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Evercore ISI began coverage on Southern in a research note on Monday, October 6th. They set an "in-line" rating and a $103.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Southern from $94.00 to $92.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Barclays set a $70.00 price target on Southern in a report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $98.57.

About Southern

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.

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.