Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) Shares Sold by Davidson Investment Advisors

Davidson Investment Advisors decreased its stake in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 23.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 171,508 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 52,332 shares during the period. Davidson Investment Advisors' holdings in Southern were worth $15,770,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in Southern by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 16,749 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,379,000 after buying an additional 1,910 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Southern by 56.6% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,547 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $292,000 after buying an additional 1,282 shares during the period. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. boosted its holdings in Southern by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 7,955 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $655,000 after buying an additional 368 shares during the period. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Southern in the 4th quarter worth $223,000. Finally, Machina Capital S.A.S. bought a new position in Southern in the 4th quarter worth $587,000. Institutional investors own 64.10% of the company's stock.

Southern Trading Down 0.4%

SO stock traded down $0.35 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $91.31. 4,599,981 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,683,030. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.79, a PEG ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.38. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $89.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $87.96. Southern Company has a 12-month low of $77.71 and a 12-month high of $94.45.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.03. Southern had a return on equity of 12.70% and a net margin of 16.54%. The company had revenue of $7.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.17 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.03 EPS. Southern's revenue for the quarter was up 17.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th were issued a $0.74 dividend. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.24%. This is a boost from Southern's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Southern's payout ratio is presently 70.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SO has been the subject of a number of research reports. UBS Group increased their price target on Southern from $94.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Southern from $91.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Southern from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and cut their target price for the company from $102.00 to $100.00 in a report on Thursday, June 5th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $98.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Southern from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $94.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $92.93.

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.