Strs Ohio Invests $29.66 Million in Southern Company (The) $SO

Key Points

• Strs Ohio has invested approximately $29.66 million in Southern Company by acquiring 322,545 shares during the first quarter.
• Southern Company recently reported quarterly earnings of $0.91 EPS, missing analyst estimates of $0.99 EPS, but achieved $6.97 billion in revenue, exceeding expectations.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.74 per share, with a current dividend yield of 3.2% and a payout ratio of 76.09%.

Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 322,545 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $29,658,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Southern by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 15,928 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,465,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Keudell Morrison Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Southern by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Keudell Morrison Wealth Management now owns 10,032 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $922,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. West Branch Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Southern by 23.0% during the 1st quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 616 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. PFW Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Southern by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. PFW Advisors LLC now owns 6,114 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $562,000 after buying an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Southern by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. now owns 8,565 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $788,000 after buying an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Southern

In related news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 13,158 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total transaction of $1,250,010.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 93,661 shares in the company, valued at $8,897,795. This represents a 12.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Southern Trading Up 0.6%

NYSE SO opened at $92.11 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $93.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $91.10. Southern Company has a 12 month low of $80.46 and a 12 month high of $96.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $101.33 billion, a PE ratio of 23.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.99 by ($0.08). Southern had a net margin of 15.10% and a return on equity of 12.09%. The company had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.10 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. Southern has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 1.500-1.500 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 4.200-4.300 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Southern Company will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were given a dividend of $0.74 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Southern's dividend payout ratio is presently 76.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Southern from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Southern from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Southern from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $102.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 5th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Southern from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Southern currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $94.92.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.