Markowski Investments Makes New $1.23 Million Investment in Southern Company (The) $SO

Key Points

• Markowski Investments purchased 12,869 shares of Southern Company worth approximately $1.23 million during the second quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 64.1% of the utility’s stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $100.09, compared with Southern’s recent price of $87.90.
• Southern exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.13 in EPS versus the $1.01 consensus estimate, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, yielding about 3.5% annually.

Markowski Investments purchased a new stake in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 12,869 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,232,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SO. Marble Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern in the 4th quarter worth about $4,443,000. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. raised its position in Southern by 121.4% during the fourth quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,767,773 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $154,150,000 after acquiring an additional 969,493 shares during the last quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp raised its position in Southern by 29.2% during the first quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 50,628 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,887,000 after acquiring an additional 11,448 shares during the last quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc lifted its holdings in shares of Southern by 114.2% in the fourth quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc now owns 45,112 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,934,000 after purchasing an additional 24,056 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA grew its position in shares of Southern by 19.1% in the first quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 92,289 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $8,908,000 after purchasing an additional 14,798 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on SO shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Southern from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Southern from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Mizuho set a $106.00 target price on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, July 31st. KeyCorp cut Southern from a "sector weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and set a $79.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Southern in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Southern currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $100.09.

Southern Price Performance

SO opened at $87.90 on Friday. Southern Company has a 52-week low of $83.80 and a 52-week high of $100.83. The company has a 50 day moving average of $93.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $94.26. The company has a market cap of $101.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.12. Southern had a net margin of 15.43% and a return on equity of 12.93%. The business had revenue of $6.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.79 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Southern Company will post 4.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. Southern's dividend payout ratio is presently 72.90%.

Southern Company 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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