Horizon Investments LLC Has $4.19 Million Stock Position in Southern Company (The) $SO

Key Points

• Southern beat Q1 estimates with adjusted EPS of $1.32 vs. $1.21 consensus and revenue of $8.40B (up ~8% y/y), aided by stronger power demand which management said supported near‑term cash flow.
• Horizon Investments reduced its stake by 21%, selling 12,797 shares to hold 48,050 shares valued at about $4.19 million, while institutional investors own roughly 64.1% of the stock.
• Company insiders sold stock (EVP Christopher Cummiskey sold 6,669 shares; CEO Kimberly Greene sold 25,000 shares) even as Southern raised its quarterly dividend to $0.76 (annualized $3.04, ~3.1% yield), which may interest income investors.

Horizon Investments LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 21.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 48,050 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 12,797 shares during the quarter. Horizon Investments LLC's holdings in Southern were worth $4,190,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Southern during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Southern during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Southern during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new position in Southern during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new position in Southern during the third quarter worth about $34,000. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Southern News

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted Q1 results beat Street estimates — Southern reported $1.32 adjusted EPS vs. ~$1.21 consensus and revenue of $8.40B (up ~8% y/y), signaling better-than-expected operational performance. PR Newswire: Q1 Release
• Positive Sentiment: Near-term demand strength helped results — utilities saw higher power demand in the quarter, which management cited as a contributor to the beat. This demand-led beat supports near-term cash flow expectations. Reuters: Q1 Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and profitability metrics — some coverage noted Southern among profitable renewable names and at least one firm (Wells Fargo) raised its price target recently, which can help sentiment. Yahoo Finance: Why Southern May Be Gaining Strength
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor materials published — the company posted its earnings slide deck and call transcript, providing more detail for investors to model regulated earnings and capital plans. Useful for granular forecasting but not market-moving by itself. Seeking Alpha: Q1 Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer/sector comparisons — some analysts highlight peers (e.g., Vistra) with different clean-energy exposures and valuations; that frames relative valuation discussions but doesn't directly change Southern’s fundamentals. Zacks: Peer Comparison
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance contains modest soft spots — Southern updated FY‑2026 and Q2 guidance (Q2 EPS guide of $1.00 vs. the ~ $1.02 consensus; FY26 guide $4.50–4.60 vs. ~4.57 consensus), which is broadly in line but slightly below some street expectations and could limit upside if the market wanted a clearer beat/raise. PR Newswire: Q1 Release (guidance)

Insider Transactions at Southern

In other Southern news, EVP Christopher Cummiskey sold 6,669 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.55, for a total value of $643,891.95. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 30,800 shares in the company, valued at $2,973,740. The trade was a 17.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.67, for a total transaction of $2,416,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 103,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,015,205.34. The trade was a 19.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Southern Stock Up 0.2%

SO opened at $96.87 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. The stock has a market cap of $109.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.65, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.36. Southern Company has a twelve month low of $83.09 and a twelve month high of $100.83. The company's 50-day moving average price is $95.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $92.03.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $8.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.07 billion. Southern had a net margin of 14.46% and a return on equity of 12.64%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.23 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Southern Company will post 4.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. This is a positive change from Southern's previous quarterly dividend of $0.74. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Southern's dividend payout ratio is presently 75.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on SO shares. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Southern in a report on Friday, April 10th. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Southern in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. They set a "hold" rating and a $103.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Southern from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Southern from $94.00 to $92.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $105.00 price target on shares of Southern in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $99.85.

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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