Hancock Whitney Corp Has $2.59 Million Position in Southern Company (The) $SO

Key Points

• Hancock Whitney Corp increased its investment in Southern Company by 52.4%, bringing its total holdings to 28,212 shares valued at approximately $2.59 million.
• Southern Company reported earnings of $0.91 per share, falling short of the estimated $0.99, with quarterly revenue increasing 7.9% year-over-year to $6.97 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.74 per share, which will be payable on September 8th, representing an annualized yield of 3.2%.

Hancock Whitney Corp grew its position in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 52.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 28,212 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 9,695 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp's holdings in Southern were worth $2,594,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CoreCap Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Southern by 232.4% during the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 31,321 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,578,000 after acquiring an additional 21,897 shares during the last quarter. Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Southern by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC now owns 32,508 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,676,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Southern by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 1,028,945 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $84,703,000 after acquiring an additional 10,388 shares during the period. FORA Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southern in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,615,000. Finally, Fiduciary Trust Co lifted its position in shares of Southern by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 7,968 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $656,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. 64.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 13,158 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total transaction of $1,250,010.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 93,661 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,897,795. This represents a 12.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Southern Trading Down 0.9%

SO stock traded down $0.87 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $90.91. 3,703,358 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,976,359. The company has a market cap of $100.01 billion, a PE ratio of 23.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.41. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $93.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $91.07. Southern Company has a one year low of $80.46 and a one year high of $96.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.74.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.99 by ($0.08). Southern had a return on equity of 12.09% and a net margin of 15.10%.The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.10 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. Southern has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 1.500-1.500 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 4.200-4.300 EPS. Research analysts predict that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $0.74 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. Southern's dividend payout ratio is 76.09%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on SO. Raymond James Financial started coverage on Southern in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $98.00 target price for the company. Mizuho lifted their target price on Southern from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. KeyCorp cut Southern from a "sector weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and set a $78.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Barclays lifted their target price on Southern from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Southern from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $94.92.

About Southern

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.