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

Key Points

• Kingswood Wealth Advisors increased its stake in Southern Company by 40.2% in Q4 to 73,709 shares, valued at about $6.427 million.
• Insiders reduced holdings: CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 25,000 shares (~$2.42M) and EVP Christopher Cummiskey sold 6,669 shares, leaving insiders with just 0.16% ownership.
• Southern raised its quarterly dividend to $0.76 (annualized $3.04), a 3.3% yield; the ex-dividend date is May 18 and payment is scheduled for June 8.

Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 40.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 73,709 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 21,153 shares during the quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Southern were worth $6,427,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SO. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Southern by 17.5% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 34,003 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,127,000 after acquiring an additional 5,067 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its stake in Southern by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 59,217 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,438,000 after acquiring an additional 393 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at $655,000. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in Southern by 11.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 449,960 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $41,320,000 after acquiring an additional 46,504 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its stake in Southern by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 514,736 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $47,268,000 after acquiring an additional 13,392 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southern

In other news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 25,000 shares of Southern stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.67, for a total transaction of $2,416,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 103,602 shares in the company, valued at $10,015,205.34. The trade was a 19.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher Cummiskey sold 6,669 shares of Southern stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.55, for a total value of $643,891.95. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 30,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,973,740. This represents a 17.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Southern Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of SO opened at $92.04 on Wednesday. Southern Company has a 52-week low of $83.09 and a 52-week high of $100.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The firm's fifty day moving average is $95.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $92.19. The stock has a market cap of $103.85 billion, a PE ratio of 23.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.41.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.01). Southern had a return on equity of 12.52% and a net margin of 14.69%.The business had revenue of $6.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.41 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.50 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Southern Company will post 4.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. This is a boost from Southern's previous quarterly dividend of $0.74. Southern's payout ratio is presently 75.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on SO. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $102.00 price target on shares of Southern in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Southern from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Mizuho set a $104.00 price target on shares of Southern and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $99.08.

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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