B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Invests $2.46 Million in Southern Company (The) $SO

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG purchased a new stake in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 25,656 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,456,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Evergreen Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southern during the first quarter worth $25,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Southern during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Ankerstar Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company's stock.

Southern Stock Performance

Shares of SO stock opened at $89.09 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $102.49 billion, a PE ratio of 21.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.34. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $94.52 and a 200-day moving average of $94.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.59. Southern Company has a one year low of $83.80 and a one year high of $100.83.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $6.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.23 billion. Southern had a net margin of 15.43% and a return on equity of 12.93%. The business's quarterly revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.79 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Southern Company will post 4.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.90%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Southern from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Mizuho set a $106.00 price target on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $104.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a report on Friday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Southern from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Southern from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Southern presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $100.09.

Southern Company Profile

Southern Company NYSE: SO is an Atlanta-based energy holding company that provides electric and gas utility services and owns power generation assets across the United States. Founded in 1945, the company operates a portfolio of regulated electric utilities and affiliated businesses that generate, transmit and distribute electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers.

Southern's principal regulated electric subsidiaries include Georgia Power, Alabama Power and Mississippi Power, which serve large portions of the southeastern United States.

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