Southern Company (The) $SO Position Boosted by Qtron Investments LLC

Key Points

• Qtron Investments LLC increased its stake in Southern Company by 67.1%, now holding 24,050 shares valued at approximately $2.2 million.
• CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 13,158 shares at an average price of $95.00, reducing her ownership in the company by 12.32%.
• Southern Company reported $0.91 EPS for the last quarter, missing the consensus estimate, while total revenue increased by 7.9% year-over-year.

Qtron Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 67.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,050 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 9,656 shares during the period. Qtron Investments LLC's holdings in Southern were worth $2,211,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Investors Research Corp boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. Cheviot Value Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southern during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Southern during the first quarter worth approximately $33,000. Rossby Financial LCC acquired a new stake in shares of Southern during the first quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Elequin Capital LP boosted its holdings in shares of Southern by 60.6% during the fourth quarter. Elequin Capital LP now owns 498 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 64.10% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 13,158 shares of the firm'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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 93,661 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,897,795. This trade represents a 12.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Southern Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE:SO opened at $94.07 on Monday. The company's 50 day moving average is $92.49 and its 200-day moving average is $90.25. The firm has a market cap of $103.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.18, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. Southern Company has a 12 month low of $80.46 and a 12 month high of $96.44.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.70 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 12.09% and a net margin of 15.10%. The company's revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.10 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Southern Company will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a $0.74 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on SO. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Southern from $91.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Southern from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Southern from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. KeyCorp lowered shares of Southern from a "sector weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and set a $78.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Southern from $95.00 to $99.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Southern presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $94.29.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.