Churchill Financial Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Southern Company (The) $SO

Key Points

• Churchill Financial Advisors opened a new position in Southern Company during the fourth quarter, buying 11,141 shares worth about $971,000.
• Southern recently reported better-than-expected earnings, with quarterly EPS of $1.32 versus estimates of $1.21 and revenue of $8.40 billion, up 8% year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.76 per share, bringing the annualized payout to $3.04 and a yield of about 3.2%.

Churchill Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 11,141 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $971,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SO. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Southern during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in Southern during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID acquired a new position in shares of Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $102.00 price target on shares of Southern in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. TD Cowen increased their price target on Southern from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Mizuho set a $105.00 price target on Southern in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Southern from $88.00 to $99.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $99.56.

Southern Stock Performance

Shares of Southern stock opened at $94.67 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $106.72 billion, a PE ratio of 24.09, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.36. Southern Company has a 12 month low of $83.80 and a 12 month high of $100.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $95.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $91.78.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $8.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.07 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 12.64% and a net margin of 14.46%.The firm's revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.23 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Southern Company will post 4.57 EPS for the current year.

Southern Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 8th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. This is a boost from Southern's previous quarterly dividend of $0.74. Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southern

In related news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 25,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.67, for a total transaction of $2,416,750.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 103,602 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,015,205.34. This trade represents a 19.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Christopher Cummiskey sold 6,669 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.55, for a total value of $643,891.95. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,800 shares in the company, valued at $2,973,740. The trade was a 17.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Southern 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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