Vident Advisory LLC Has $5.98 Million Stock Position in Southern Company (The) $SO

Key Points

• Vident Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Southern Company by 4.7% after acquiring an additional 2,938 shares, bringing their total to 65,068 shares worth approximately $5.98 million.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive sentiment towards Southern Company, with most ratings being "Buy" or "Hold," and a consensus target price of $94.92.
• The company recently declared a $0.74 quarterly dividend, resulting in a 3.2% yield, with an ex-dividend date set for August 18th.

Vident Advisory LLC increased its stake in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 4.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 65,068 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,938 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC's holdings in Southern were worth $5,983,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on SO shares. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $98.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Southern from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $102.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Southern from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Morgan Stanley reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Southern from $98.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $94.92.

Southern Stock Performance

SO stock traded down $0.45 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $91.64. 3,444,555 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,089,936. Southern Company has a twelve month low of $80.46 and a twelve 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. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $93.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $90.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $100.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.41.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.10 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a $0.74 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. 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 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 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

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.