Southern Company (The) $SO Shares Bought by Merit Financial Group LLC

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Southern Company by 17.2%, owning 84,302 shares valued at approximately $7.74 million as reported in a recent SEC filing.
• Southern Company's Q2 earnings report showed earnings per share of $0.91, falling short of expectations, but revenue increased by 7.9% year over year to $6.97 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.74 per share, providing a 3.1% dividend yield, with a payout ratio of 76.09%.

Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 17.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 84,302 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 12,392 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Southern were worth $7,741,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Southern by 275.0% in the second quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares during the period. Cheviot Value Management LLC purchased a new stake in Southern in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Southern during the 1st quarter worth $33,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Southern during the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Rossby Financial LCC purchased a new position in Southern during the 1st quarter worth $39,000. 64.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southern Price Performance

Southern stock opened at $94.56 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $104.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.43. Southern Company has a one year low of $80.46 and a one year high of $96.44. The business has a fifty day moving average of $93.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $91.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.74.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.99 by ($0.08). Southern had a return on equity of 12.09% and a net margin of 15.10%.The company had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.70 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.10 earnings per share. The business'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. As a group, analysts predict that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th were paid a dividend of $0.74 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Southern's payout ratio is 76.09%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on SO. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Southern from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Southern from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Southern from $94.00 to $92.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Southern in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $98.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Southern from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $95.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southern

In related news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 13,158 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total value of $1,250,010.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 93,661 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,897,795. This trade represents a 12.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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