IFM Investors Pty Ltd Purchases 16,786 Shares of Southern Company (The) $SO

Key Points

• IFM Investors Pty Ltd increased its holdings in Southern Company by 7.0%, acquiring an additional 16,786 shares, bringing its total to 258,169 shares valued at approximately $23.7 million.
• Southern Company reported earnings of $0.91 per share for the last quarter, missing analysts' expectations, but revenue increased by 7.9% year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.74 per share, representing an annualized yield of 3.2% and a payout ratio of 76.09%.

IFM Investors Pty Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 7.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 258,169 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 16,786 shares during the quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in Southern were worth $23,708,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Investors Research Corp lifted its position in Southern by 400.0% during the 1st quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 270 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. Cheviot Value Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Southern during the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Rossby Financial LCC purchased a new position in shares of Southern during the 1st quarter worth approximately $39,000. 64.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Southern from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Scotiabank increased their target price on Southern from $98.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Southern in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $98.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays lifted their target price on Southern from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Southern in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Southern presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $94.92.

Insider Transactions at Southern

In related news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 13,158 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total value of $1,250,010.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 93,661 shares in the company, 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 link. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Southern Price Performance

NYSE:SO traded up $0.41 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $91.86. 9,381,376 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,632,029. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $93.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $91.22. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. Southern Company has a one year low of $80.46 and a one year high of $96.44. The company has a market capitalization of $101.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.61, a P/E/G ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.41.

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

Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th were issued a dividend of $0.74 per share. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 18th. Southern's payout ratio is currently 76.09%.

Southern Company Profile

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.