Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Has $239.40 Million Stock Position in Southern Company (The) $SO

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors boosted its stake in Southern to 2,526,346 shares (about 0.23% of the company), adding 25,690 shares in the quarter for a position valued at roughly $239.4 million; institutional investors now own about 64.1% of the stock.
• Southern's latest quarter showed $0.55 EPS (missed by $0.01) but revenue of $6.98 billion (up 10.1% YoY and above estimates); the company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.74 (3.0% yield) with a payout ratio around 75%.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed with a MarketBeat consensus of "Hold" (average target $98.08: 6 Buys, 12 Holds, 1 Sell), though firms like Evercore upgraded to "Outperform" ($111 target) and KeyCorp raised multi‑year EPS forecasts while keeping a Sector Weight rating.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 1.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,526,346 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 25,690 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.23% of Southern worth $239,396,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in SO. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Southern by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 21,461 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,034,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Southern by 0.7% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,230 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,443,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Southern by 0.7% during the third quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 15,667 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,485,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Sara Bay Financial lifted its position in Southern by 2.7% during the third quarter. Sara Bay Financial now owns 4,133 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Southern by 2.1% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,155 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $489,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company's stock.

Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SO opened at $97.75 on Friday. 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 Company has a 1 year low of $83.09 and a 1 year high of $100.83. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $90.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $91.47. The stock has a market cap of $107.63 billion, a PE ratio of 24.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.44.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.41 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 12.52% and a net margin of 14.69%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.50 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a dividend of $0.74 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 75.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on SO. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $102.00 target price on shares of Southern in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Truist Financial set a $103.00 price target on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued 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 an average target price of $98.08.

Southern News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore upgraded SO from "in-line" to "outperform" and set a $111 price target (~13.5% upside vs. the recent price). The upgrade signals increased conviction from a sell‑side shop and likely lifted buying interest. Street Insider
• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp raised its multi‑year earnings outlook for Southern — notably boosting FY2029 to $5.76/share (from $5.52) and lifting FY2026–FY2030 estimates across the board — which implies stronger future cash flow and supports higher valuation multiples. These upward revisions can justify more bullish price targets and help underpin the stock. MarketBeat
• Neutral Sentiment: KeyCorp left a "Sector Weight" rating on SO despite raising EPS forecasts; that suggests the firm is more confident in underlying earnings trends but not ready to move to an outright buy stance, so the impact may be more measured than a full‑throated upgrade. MarketBeat

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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