Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Buys 33,436 Shares of Southern Company (The) $SO

Key Points

• Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. increased its stake in Southern Company by 30.3%, acquiring an additional 33,436 shares, bringing its total ownership to 143,635 shares valued at $13.2 million.
• CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 13,158 shares for approximately $1.25 million, indicating a 12.32% decrease in her ownership of the stock.
• Southern Company is scheduled to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.74 per share on September 8th, with a current yield of 3.1% and a dividend payout ratio of 76.09%.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. raised its position in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 30.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 143,635 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 33,436 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Southern were worth $13,218,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SO. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in Southern by 20.8% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 778,774 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $64,109,000 after purchasing an additional 133,908 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Southern by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,440,982 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $200,943,000 after purchasing an additional 64,328 shares in the last quarter. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in Southern in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its position in Southern by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 78,697 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $6,478,000 after acquiring an additional 3,603 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Southern by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 987,659 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $81,304,000 after acquiring an additional 24,393 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.10% of the company's stock.

Southern Price Performance

Shares of Southern stock traded down $0.88 during trading on Monday, reaching $93.60. 658,925 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,152,566. The company has a market capitalization of $102.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.06, a P/E/G ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.38. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $92.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $90.62. 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 Company has a 52-week low of $80.46 and a 52-week high of $96.44.

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 firm had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.70 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.10 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. Southern has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 1.500-1.500 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 4.200-4.300 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Southern Company will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a $0.74 dividend. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. Southern's payout ratio is currently 76.09%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 13,158 shares of Southern 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 93,661 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,897,795. This trade represents a 12.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Southern from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised Southern from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $102.00 to $100.00 in a report on Thursday, June 5th. Scotiabank increased their price target on Southern from $98.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $93.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Southern from $95.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $94.36.

Southern 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.