Weiss Asset Management LP Sells 201,393 Shares of Southern Company (The) $SO

Key Points

• Weiss Asset Management LP cut its Southern Company stake by 60.5% in the first quarter, selling 201,393 shares and leaving it with 131,300 shares worth about $12.7 million.
• Southern reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with earnings of $1.32 per share versus estimates of $1.21 and revenue of $8.40 billion, up 8% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, implying an annualized dividend of $3.04 and a yield of about 3.1%; analysts currently have a Hold consensus with an average price target of $100.09.

Weiss Asset Management LP lessened its stake in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 60.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 131,300 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 201,393 shares during the period. Weiss Asset Management LP's holdings in Southern were worth $12,673,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Southern by 17.5% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 34,003 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,127,000 after purchasing an additional 5,067 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its position in Southern by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 59,217 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,438,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares in the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in Southern during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $655,000. Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in Southern by 11.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 449,960 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $41,320,000 after purchasing an additional 46,504 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its stake in Southern by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 514,736 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $47,268,000 after purchasing an additional 13,392 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.10% of the company's stock.

Southern Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of Southern stock opened at $97.29 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $109.67 billion, a PE ratio of 24.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.34. Southern Company has a 52 week low of $83.80 and a 52 week high of $100.83. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $94.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $93.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.65.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.11. Southern had a return on equity of 12.64% and a net margin of 14.46%.The company had revenue of $8.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.07 billion. Southern's revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.23 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Southern Company will post 4.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 77.35%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on SO shares. Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of Southern from $103.00 to $100.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Southern from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. KeyCorp lowered Southern from a "sector weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and set a $79.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group set a $99.00 price objective on Southern in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Southern in a report on Wednesday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $100.09.

Key Headlines Impacting Southern

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Southern’s Georgia Power subsidiary signed a long-term power agreement with OpenAI, which could support future electricity demand and reinforce the company’s role in powering AI data center growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced it is joining President Trump’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge, highlighting a customer-first approach focused on rate stability, grid reliability, and responsible growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts remain constructive on near-term earnings, with Zacks saying Southern may have the right setup to beat upcoming results. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: KeyCorp raised its Q4 2026 EPS estimate to $0.60 from $0.55, but kept an Underweight rating and a $79 price target, so the update is mixed despite the higher forecast. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: KeyCorp also trimmed estimates for Southern’s Q3 2026, FY2028, FY2029, and FY2030 earnings, which may weigh on sentiment even though the changes were modest. Article Title

About Southern

Southern Company NYSE: SO is an Atlanta-based energy holding company that provides electric and gas utility services and owns power generation assets across the United States. Founded in 1945, the company operates a portfolio of regulated electric utilities and affiliated businesses that generate, transmit and distribute electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers.

Southern's principal regulated electric subsidiaries include Georgia Power, Alabama Power and Mississippi Power, which serve large portions of the southeastern United States.

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