Beacon Financial Advisory LLC Buys New Shares in Southern Company (The) $SO

Key Points

• Beacon Financial Advisory LLC has acquired a new position in Southern Company, purchasing 2,838 shares valued at approximately $261,000 during the second quarter.
• Southern Company reported a missed earnings per share estimate for the most recent quarter, with $0.91 EPS compared to the consensus estimate of $0.99, despite increasing revenue to $6.97 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.74, translating to an annualized yield of 3.1%, with a payout ratio of 76.09%.

Beacon Financial Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 2,838 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $261,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Southern by 275.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Cheviot Value Management LLC bought a new stake in Southern in the first quarter worth $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Southern during the first quarter valued at about $33,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Southern during the first quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in shares of Southern in the first quarter worth about $40,000. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Southern Price Performance

Shares of Southern stock opened at $95.46 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $105.01 billion, a PE ratio of 24.54, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.43. The business has a 50 day moving average of $93.47 and a 200 day moving average of $91.52. Southern Company has a 52 week low of $80.46 and a 52 week high of $96.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69.

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 (EPS) 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 analysts' expectations of $6.70 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.10 earnings per share. The firm'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. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were paid a $0.74 dividend. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. Southern's dividend payout ratio is presently 76.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Southern news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 13,158 shares of Southern stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 93,661 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,897,795. The trade was a 12.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on SO. Mizuho raised their price target on Southern from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. BMO Capital Markets increased 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. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Southern in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on shares of Southern in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $98.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Southern from $94.00 to $92.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $95.77.

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.

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