Voleon Capital Management LP Grows Position in Southern Company (The) $SO

Key Points

• Voleon Capital Management LP increased its stake in Southern Company by 34.8%, owning 91,806 shares valued at approximately $8.44 million as of its latest SEC filing.
• Southern Company reported a quarterly EPS of $0.91, missing expectations of $0.99, while its revenue for the quarter reached $6.97 billion, exceeding forecasts.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.74, with the ex-dividend date set for August 18th, representing an annual yield of 3.2% and a payout ratio of 76.09%.

Voleon Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 34.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 91,806 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 23,677 shares during the period. Voleon Capital Management LP's holdings in Southern were worth $8,442,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Southern by 0.7% during the first quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 15,928 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,465,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Keudell Morrison Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Southern by 1.1% in the first 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 during the period. West Branch Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Southern by 23.0% during the first quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 616 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. PFW Advisors LLC raised its position 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 acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Southern by 1.4% in the first quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. now owns 8,565 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $788,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Southern

In other news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 13,158 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total transaction of $1,250,010.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 93,661 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,897,795. This 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. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Southern Price Performance

Shares of SO opened at $91.79 on Monday. Southern Company has a 12-month low of $80.46 and a 12-month high of $96.44. The business's fifty day moving average is $93.51 and its 200 day moving average is $91.05. 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 stock has a market cap of $100.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.60, a P/E/G ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.41.

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 analysts' expectations of $6.70 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.10 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Southern has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 1.500-1.500 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 4.200-4.300 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on SO shares. Scotiabank lifted their price target 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. Raymond James Financial started coverage on Southern in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $98.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Southern from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Southern from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on Southern from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $94.92.

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.