CCM Investment Advisers LLC Lowers Holdings in Southern Company (The) $SO

Key Points

• CCM Investment Advisers reduced its Southern Company stake by 8.4% in the first quarter, selling 13,733 shares and retaining 149,674 shares valued at approximately $14.45 million. Institutional investors collectively own 64.1% of the utility.
• Southern reported quarterly EPS of $1.13, beating the $1.01 consensus estimate and improving from $0.79 a year earlier, but revenue of $6.98 billion fell short of the $7.23 billion forecast. The stock opened at $94.24, down 1.9%.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, equivalent to $3.04 annually and a 3.2% yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $100.21.

CCM Investment Advisers LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 8.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 149,674 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 13,733 shares during the period. CCM Investment Advisers LLC's holdings in Southern were worth $14,447,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Spirepoint Private Client LLC grew its position in Southern by 13.3% during the fourth quarter. Spirepoint Private Client LLC now owns 97,631 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $8,513,000 after buying an additional 11,460 shares during the period. Marble Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Southern in the fourth quarter worth about $4,443,000. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO boosted its stake in Southern by 243.3% in the fourth quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 20,816 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,815,000 after acquiring an additional 14,753 shares during the last quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Southern in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,462,000. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its position in shares of Southern by 20.5% during the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 99,386 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $8,667,000 after acquiring an additional 16,878 shares during the period. 64.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Southern Stock Down 1.9%

Southern stock opened at $94.24 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $94.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $93.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. Southern Company has a 1-year low of $83.80 and a 1-year high of $100.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $106.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.34.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.12. Southern had a return on equity of 12.64% and a net margin of 14.46%.The firm had revenue of $6.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.79 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Southern Company will post 4.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. Southern's dividend payout ratio is 77.35%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SO has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Southern from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. KeyCorp downgraded Southern from a "sector weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and set a $79.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $99.00 price objective on Southern in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $104.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Southern in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Southern presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $100.21.

Key Stories Impacting Southern

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Southern reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.13 per share, exceeding the $1.01 analyst consensus and rising from $0.91 a year earlier. The company also reported $1.2 billion in quarterly earnings, or $1.03 per reported share, versus $0.9 billion, or $0.80 per share, in the prior-year period. Southern Co. Beats Q2 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Southern’s six-month earnings increased to $2.5 billion, or $2.24 per share, from $2.2 billion, or $2.01 per share, a sign of year-to-date profit growth. Southern Company Reports Second-Quarter 2026 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Georgia Power completed the Moody Battery Energy Storage System, supporting solar integration and grid reliability. Southern is also expanding storage capacity across Georgia, which could strengthen its regulated-utility growth profile. Southern Completes Moody Battery Project
• Positive Sentiment: Investors continue to view Southern as a potential AI and data-center electricity-demand beneficiary, supported by large-load contracts and a reported 25-year power agreement with OpenAI. Southern Company AI Data Center Opportunity
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter revenue of $6.98 billion fell short of the $7.23 billion consensus and was essentially flat year over year, tempering the earnings beat. Southern Quarterly Earnings Report
• Negative Sentiment: Management’s 2026 EPS guidance of $4.50-$4.60 brackets a $4.57 consensus estimate, while third-quarter guidance of $1.65 is below the $1.67 forecast. This modestly cautious outlook likely contributed to the stock’s weakness despite the quarterly beat.

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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