Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co Acquires 53,000 Shares of Southern Company (The) $SO

Key Points

• Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its stake in Southern Company by 33.8% in Q1, acquiring an additional 53,000 shares worth approximately $19.3 million.
• Southern Company's stock has received mixed ratings from analysts, with a current average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $94.92.
• Southern Company reported a quarterly EPS of $0.91, missing estimates by $0.08, despite a 7.9% increase in revenue year-over-year.

Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co grew its position in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 33.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 210,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 53,000 shares during the period. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co's holdings in Southern were worth $19,310,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Investors Research Corp increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. Cheviot Value Management LLC acquired a new stake in Southern in the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Southern in the first quarter valued at about $33,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Southern in the first quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Rossby Financial LCC acquired a new stake in Southern in the first quarter valued at about $39,000. Institutional investors own 64.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on SO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Southern from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Mizuho lifted their price target on Southern from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Raymond James Financial began coverage on Southern in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $98.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Southern from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $94.92.

Insider Activity at Southern

In related news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 13,158 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 93,661 shares in the company, valued at $8,897,795. This represents a 12.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Southern Stock Up 0.5%

SO stock opened at $91.25 on Wednesday. Southern Company has a 1-year low of $80.46 and a 1-year high of $96.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $93.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $91.07. The stock has a market cap of $100.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.41.

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

Southern Dividend Announcement

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

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.

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