Empowered Funds LLC Grows Holdings in Southern Company (The) $SO

Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 23.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 66,631 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 12,472 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Southern were worth $6,431,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Evergreen Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Southern during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southern in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Ankerstar Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Southern during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Institutional investors own 64.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SO has been the subject of a number of research reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Southern from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Barclays cut their price objective on Southern from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Southern in a report on Friday, April 10th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Southern from $103.00 to $100.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Southern in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Southern has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $100.26.

Southern Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE SO opened at $94.79 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.79. Southern Company has a one year low of $83.80 and a one year high of $100.83. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $94.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $94.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $106.86 billion, a PE ratio of 22.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.34.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.12. Southern had a net margin of 15.43% and a return on equity of 12.93%. The firm had revenue of $6.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.79 earnings per share. Southern's quarterly revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Southern Company will post 4.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Southern's dividend payout ratio is 72.90%.

Trending Headlines about Southern

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter earnings beat expectations: Southern reported adjusted EPS of $1.13, above the $1.01 analyst consensus and up from $0.91 a year earlier. The company’s reported earnings were $1.2 billion, or $1.03 per share, compared with $0.9 billion, or $0.80 per share, in the prior-year quarter. Southern Co. Beats Q2 Earnings Estimates Southern Company Reports Second-Quarter 2026 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Capacity expansion is positioning the utility for load growth: Georgia Power is developing nearly 1,500 megawatts of new natural-gas generation and 500 megawatts of battery storage at Plant Bowen. The projects could support reliability and future demand from industrial customers and data centers, although they also require substantial capital investment. Georgia Power and Officials Celebrate Plant Bowen Investments
• Positive Sentiment: Energy-storage and AI demand provide longer-term catalysts: Georgia Power completed the Moody Battery Energy Storage System, expanding Southern’s regulated storage platform. Analysts also point to large-load contracts and a reported 25-year OpenAI power agreement as potential drivers of future utility demand. Southern Completes Moody Battery Project Southern Company AI Data Center Opportunity
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue growth remained weak: Quarterly revenue was $6.98 billion, below the $7.23 billion consensus and up only 0.1% year over year, tempering the significance of the EPS beat. Southern Q2 Key Metrics Versus Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term guidance was slightly cautious: Third-quarter EPS guidance of $1.65 was below the $1.67 consensus, while the $4.50–$4.60 full-year 2026 range brackets but centers below the $4.57 estimate. The 2028 range of $5.25–$5.45, however, is at least in line with current expectations.

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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