Norinchukin Bank The Purchases 5,303 Shares of Southern Company (The) $SO

Key Points

• Norinchukin Bank The increased its stake in Southern Company by 12.4%, owning 48,160 shares valued at approximately $4.43 million.
• Southern Company reported a missed EPS estimate of $0.91 against the consensus of $0.99, while revenue was above expectations at $6.97 billion.
• The firm announced a quarterly dividend of $0.74 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 3.1%.

Norinchukin Bank The lifted its position in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 12.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 48,160 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,303 shares during the quarter. Norinchukin Bank The's holdings in Southern were worth $4,428,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Investors Research Corp grew its stake in shares of Southern by 400.0% in the 1st quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 270 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Cheviot Value Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southern in the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Southern in the 1st quarter worth $33,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southern in the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Rossby Financial LCC bought a new stake in shares of Southern in the 1st quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors own 64.10% of the company's stock.

Southern Stock Performance

SO traded down $0.1760 on Friday, hitting $94.4440. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,304,937 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,604,726. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $92.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $90.62. The firm has a market cap of $103.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.38. Southern Company has a 12 month low of $80.46 and a 12 month high of $96.44. 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 (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.99 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.70 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 12.09% and a net margin of 15.10%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.10 earnings per share. Southern has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 1.500-1.500 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 4.200-4.300 EPS. Analysts forecast that Southern Company will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Southern

In other news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 13,158 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on SO shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Southern from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating and set a $93.00 price target on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Southern from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Southern from $98.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Southern from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $94.36.

Southern 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.