Concentric Capital Strategies LP Takes Position in Southern Company (The) $SO

Key Points

• Concentric Capital Strategies LP has acquired a new stake in Southern Company, buying 9,291 shares valued at approximately $854,000.
• CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 13,158 shares for a total of $1,250,010, resulting in a 12.32% decrease in her ownership position.
• Analysts have rated Southern Company with a consensus of "Hold" and a price target of $94.92, with several institutions modifying their positions in recent months.

Concentric Capital Strategies LP purchased a new stake in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 9,291 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $854,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Investors Research Corp increased its position in Southern by 400.0% in the 1st quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 270 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. Cheviot Value Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Southern during the 1st quarter worth $33,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Southern during the first quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Rossby Financial LCC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern in the 1st quarter worth about $39,000. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Southern Stock Performance

Shares of SO traded down $0.87 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $90.91. 3,703,358 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,976,359. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.37, a P/E/G ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.41. 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 twelve month low of $80.46 and a twelve month high of $96.44. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $93.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $91.07.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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). The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.70 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 12.09% and a net margin of 15.10%.Southern's revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.10 earnings per share. Southern has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 1.500-1.500 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 4.200-4.300 EPS. Analysts predict that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $0.74 per share. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. Southern's payout ratio is presently 76.09%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Southern from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Southern from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on Southern in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $98.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Southern from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $102.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Southern from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $94.92.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

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.