Diversify Advisory Services LLC Purchases Shares of 14,219 Southern Company (The) $SO

Key Points

• Diversify Advisory Services acquired 14,219 shares of Southern Company during the second quarter, valued at approximately $1.37 million. Institutional investors collectively own 64.1% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating, with an average price target of $100.09; ratings include seven Buys, eleven Holds, and two Sells.
• Southern exceeded quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $1.13 versus the $1.01 consensus estimate, and declared a $0.76 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 3.3% annualized yield.

Diversify Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 14,219 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,372,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Evergreen Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Southern during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern in the first quarter worth $25,000. Ankerstar Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Southern during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp bought a new position in shares of Southern during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on SO shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Southern from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Southern from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Barclays cut their price objective on Southern from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Mizuho set a $106.00 target price on Southern in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Southern from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $100.09.

Southern Stock Performance

Southern stock opened at $92.22 on Thursday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $94.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.42. Southern Company has a twelve month low of $83.80 and a twelve month high of $100.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The company has a market cap of $106.09 billion, a PE ratio of 22.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.34.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $6.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.23 billion. Southern had a net margin of 15.43% and a return on equity of 12.93%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.79 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Southern Company will post 4.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.90%.

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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