Cwm LLC Has $14.43 Million Stake in Southern Company (The) $SO

Key Points

• Cwm LLC increased its position in Southern Company by 63.2% in Q4 to 165,475 shares, a stake worth $14.43 million, as institutional investors collectively own 64.10% of the stock.
• Southern reported Q4 EPS of $0.55 (missed by $0.01) while revenue of $6.98 billion beat estimates and rose 10.1% year-over-year; the company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.74 (annualized $2.96) for a 3.1% yield
• Recent insider activity shows EVP Christopher Cummiskey sold 6,669 shares and CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 25,000 shares, reducing their holdings by about 17.8% and 19.4% respectively, with insiders now owning 0.16% of the company.

Cwm LLC raised its position in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 63.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 165,475 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 64,104 shares during the quarter. Cwm LLC's holdings in Southern were worth $14,429,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Southern by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 106,414,323 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $10,084,885,000 after acquiring an additional 510,080 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its stake in shares of Southern by 320.3% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 33,548,852 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,179,425,000 after acquiring an additional 25,567,431 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in shares of Southern by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 8,532,530 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $808,628,000 after acquiring an additional 285,546 shares in the last quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP grew its stake in shares of Southern by 83.8% during the 2nd quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 4,097,422 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $376,266,000 after acquiring an additional 1,867,912 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Southern by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,904,697 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $275,277,000 after acquiring an additional 53,641 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho set a $104.00 price target on shares of Southern and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley restated an "underweight" rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, February 20th. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $98.69.

Southern Stock Down 0.4%

Southern stock opened at $94.56 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $106.70 billion, a PE ratio of 24.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.41. The company's 50-day moving average is $95.65 and its 200-day moving average is $92.22. Southern Company has a fifty-two week low of $83.09 and a fifty-two week high of $100.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.47.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $6.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.41 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 12.52% and a net margin of 14.69%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.50 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a dividend of $0.74 per share. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. Southern's payout ratio is currently 75.32%.

Insider Activity at Southern

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

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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