Voloridge Investment Management LLC Makes New $9.01 Million Investment in The Southern Company (NYSE:SO)

Voloridge Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in The Southern Company (NYSE:SO - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 109,417 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $9,007,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. WFA Asset Management Corp raised its holdings in shares of Southern by 84.9% during the 4th quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 429 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the period. Valley National Advisers Inc. raised its stake in Southern by 244.4% during the fourth quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 434 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares during the period. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Southern in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 64.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Southern Price Performance

Shares of SO traded down $1.73 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $88.19. 5,217,872 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,503,677. The Southern Company has a fifty-two week low of $76.64 and a fifty-two week high of $94.45. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $89.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $87.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.92 billion, a PE ratio of 21.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.40.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.03. Southern had a return on equity of 12.23% and a net margin of 16.47%. The company had revenue of $7.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.03 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 17.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that The Southern Company will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a $0.74 dividend. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.36%. This is a positive change from Southern's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 70.64%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $93.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Southern from $95.00 to $99.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Southern from $94.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Southern from $83.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $92.21.

Insider Activity at Southern

In other Southern news, EVP Martin Bernard Davis sold 1,125 shares of Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.61, for a total transaction of $100,811.25. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 102,090 shares in the company, valued at $9,148,284.90. The trade was a 1.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 32,190 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.12, for a total transaction of $2,997,532.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 106,819 shares in the company, valued at $9,946,985.28. The trade was a 23.16% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

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.