Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC increased its position in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 24.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 69,437 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 13,633 shares during the quarter. Southern comprises 1.6% of Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC's holdings in Southern were worth $6,702,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Evergreen Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of 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 stake in Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in Southern during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new stake in Southern during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of research firms have commented on SO. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $104.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Southern from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Wall Street Zen lowered Southern from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday. KeyCorp cut Southern from a "sector weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and set a $79.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $100.26.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on SO
More Southern News
Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter earnings beat expectations: Southern reported adjusted EPS of $1.13, above the $1.01 analyst consensus and up from $0.91 a year earlier. The company’s reported earnings were $1.2 billion, or $1.03 per share, compared with $0.9 billion, or $0.80 per share, in the prior-year quarter. Southern Co. Beats Q2 Earnings Estimates Southern Company Reports Second-Quarter 2026 Earnings
- Positive Sentiment: Capacity expansion is positioning the utility for load growth: Georgia Power is developing nearly 1,500 megawatts of new natural-gas generation and 500 megawatts of battery storage at Plant Bowen. The projects could support reliability and future demand from industrial customers and data centers, although they also require substantial capital investment. Georgia Power and Officials Celebrate Plant Bowen Investments
- Positive Sentiment: Energy-storage and AI demand provide longer-term catalysts: Georgia Power completed the Moody Battery Energy Storage System, expanding Southern’s regulated storage platform. Analysts also point to large-load contracts and a reported 25-year OpenAI power agreement as potential drivers of future utility demand. Southern Completes Moody Battery Project Southern Company AI Data Center Opportunity
- Neutral Sentiment: Revenue growth remained weak: Quarterly revenue was $6.98 billion, below the $7.23 billion consensus and up only 0.1% year over year, tempering the significance of the EPS beat. Southern Q2 Key Metrics Versus Estimates
- Negative Sentiment: Near-term guidance was slightly cautious: Third-quarter EPS guidance of $1.65 was below the $1.67 consensus, while the $4.50–$4.60 full-year 2026 range brackets but centers below the $4.57 estimate. The 2028 range of $5.25–$5.45, however, is at least in line with current expectations.
Southern Stock Performance
Shares of SO stock opened at $94.79 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $94.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $94.00. The company has a market cap of $106.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.34. Southern Company has a 12-month low of $83.80 and a 12-month high of $100.83.
Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.12. Southern had a return on equity of 12.93% and a net margin of 15.43%.The firm had revenue of $6.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.79 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Southern Company will post 4.58 EPS for the current year.
Southern Dividend Announcement
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. Southern's payout ratio is presently 72.90%.
Southern Profile
(
Free Report)
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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