MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. Boosts Stock Position in Southern Company (The) $SO

Key Points

• MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in Southern Company by 15.5% during Q1, owning 142,585 shares worth approximately $13.11 million.
• Southern Company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the latest quarter, missing the expected $0.99, while quarterly revenue rose 7.9% year-over-year.
• The firm has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.74 per share, with an annualized yield of 3.3% and a dividend payout ratio of 76.09%.

MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 15.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 142,585 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 19,119 shares during the quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd.'s holdings in Southern were worth $13,111,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of SO. Investors Research Corp lifted its holdings in Southern by 400.0% during 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 during the period. Cheviot Value Management LLC bought a new stake in Southern during the first quarter worth $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new stake in Southern during the first quarter worth $33,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southern in the first quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Rossby Financial LCC bought a new stake in shares of Southern in the first quarter valued at $39,000. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 13,158 shares of the business's 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 93,661 shares in the company, valued at $8,897,795. The trade was a 12.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SO traded up $0.14 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $92.27. The company had a trading volume of 4,074,839 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,037,865. The company has a market capitalization of $101.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.72, a P/E/G ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.41. 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 50-day moving average price is $93.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $91.10.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 net margin of 15.10% and a return on equity of 12.09%. The company had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $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. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on SO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Southern from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating 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 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Southern from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $102.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Southern from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Southern from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $94.92.

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.