IFM Investors Pty Ltd Reduces Stock Position in Southern Company (The) $SO

Key Points

• IFM Investors Pty Ltd decreased its stake in Southern Company by 22.2%, holding 241,383 shares valued at approximately $22.2 million after selling 68,980 shares in the first quarter.
• Analysts have mixed views on Southern Company, with 5 Buy ratings, 7 Hold ratings, and 1 Sell rating, leading to an average price target of $94.92.
• Southern Company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.74, with an annual yield of 3.2% and a payout ratio of 76.09%.

IFM Investors Pty Ltd decreased its holdings in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 22.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 241,383 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 68,980 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in Southern were worth $22,195,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Investors Research Corp grew its stake in shares of Southern by 400.0% in the first quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 270 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Cheviot Value Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southern during the first quarter worth $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Southern during the first quarter worth $33,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southern during the first quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Saudi Central Bank acquired a new position in shares of Southern during the first quarter worth $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 13,158 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 93,661 shares in the company, valued at $8,897,795. This trade represents a 12.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Southern Stock Performance

Shares of SO traded up $0.14 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $92.27. 4,074,939 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,559,401. Southern Company has a fifty-two week low of $80.46 and a fifty-two week high of $96.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $101.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.72, a P/E/G ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.41. The business's 50 day moving average is $93.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $91.11. 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 (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.10 EPS. Southern'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. On average, equities analysts expect that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were given a $0.74 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.09%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on SO. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Southern from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $98.00 price objective for the company. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Southern from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Southern from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $94.92.

Southern 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.