TD Private Client Wealth LLC Sells 5,748 Shares of Southern Company (The) $SO

Key Points

• TD Private Client Wealth LLC reduced its holdings in Southern Company by 20.9%, selling 5,748 shares, and now owns 21,736 shares valued at approximately $1.996 million.
• Recent analyst reports have seen varying price target adjustments, with BMO Capital Markets raising its target to $102.00 and Scotiabank to $99.00, reflecting a consensus rating of "Hold" with a target price of $95.08.
• Southern Company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.74, with an annualized yield of 3.2%, highlighting its commitment to returning value to shareholders.

TD Private Client Wealth LLC cut its holdings in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 20.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,736 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 5,748 shares during the period. TD Private Client Wealth LLC's holdings in Southern were worth $1,996,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Investors Research Corp increased its stake in shares of Southern by 400.0% in the first quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 270 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Cheviot Value Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern in the first quarter worth $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Southern in the first quarter worth $33,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern in the first quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Rossby Financial LCC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern in the first quarter worth $39,000. 64.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on SO shares. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Southern from $98.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Southern from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Southern from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Southern from $94.00 to $92.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Southern from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $95.08.

Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SO opened at $93.77 on Friday. Southern Company has a 52 week low of $80.46 and a 52 week high of $96.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $103.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.11, a PEG ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.41. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $93.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $91.27. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 12.09% and a net margin of 15.10%.The business had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.70 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.10 earnings per share. The business'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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th were paid a $0.74 dividend. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.09%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 13,158 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 93,661 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,897,795. This trade represents a 12.32% decrease in their position. 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.

About Southern

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.

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.