Southern Company (The) $SO Shares Acquired by EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC

Key Points

• EverSource Wealth Advisors increased its Southern Company stake by 66.6% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 53,971 shares valued at approximately $5.21 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 64.1% of Southern’s stock.
• Southern reported first-quarter earnings of $1.32 per share, exceeding estimates of $1.21, while revenue rose 8% year over year to $8.40 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.76, equivalent to an annualized $3.04 payout and a 3.2% dividend yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $100.21.

EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 66.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 53,971 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 21,567 shares during the quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Southern were worth $5,209,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Evergreen Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Southern during the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southern in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Ankerstar Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new stake in Southern during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. 64.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southern Stock Performance

SO opened at $96.24 on Thursday. Southern Company has a 1-year low of $83.80 and a 1-year high of $100.83. The stock has a market cap of $108.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.34. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $94.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $93.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.45.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $8.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.07 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 12.64% and a net margin of 14.46%.Southern's revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.23 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Southern Company will post 4.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Southern's payout ratio is currently 77.35%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Southern from $103.00 to $100.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $104.00 price target on shares of Southern in a report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Southern from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Southern from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Southern has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $100.21.

About Southern

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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