FY2025 EPS Estimates for Southern Lowered by Seaport Res Ptn

Key Points

• FY2025 EPS Estimates: Southern Company's earnings per share (EPS) estimates for FY2025 have been reduced from $4.36 to $4.29 by Seaport Res Ptn.
• Recent Earnings Performance: The company reported $1.23 EPS for the most recent quarter, exceeding expectations, with a revenue increase of 17.0% year-over-year.
• Dividend Announcement: Southern Company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.74 per share, scheduled for payment on September 8th, with a yield of 3.11%.

Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) - Analysts at Seaport Res Ptn reduced their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for Southern in a report released on Monday, July 28th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst A. Storozynski now expects that the utilities provider will earn $4.29 per share for the year, down from their prior forecast of $4.36. The consensus estimate for Southern's current full-year earnings is $4.29 per share.

Several other analysts also recently commented on SO. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Southern from $95.00 to $99.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Southern from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday. Guggenheim reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $93.00 target price on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Southern from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Southern from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Southern currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $94.27.

Southern Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of SO traded up $0.48 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $94.96. The stock had a trading volume of 7,489,439 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,934,255. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $91.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $89.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $104.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.38. Southern has a 1-year low of $80.46 and a 1-year high of $96.44.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.91 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.70 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.10 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SO. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Southern by 23.2% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 21,253 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,954,000 after purchasing an additional 4,005 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Southern by 4.1% in the first quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,645 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $427,000 after buying an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC raised its stake in Southern by 0.4% in the first quarter. Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC now owns 32,627 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,000,000 after buying an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Southern by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 398,624 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,815,000 after purchasing an additional 15,923 shares during the period. Finally, Little House Capital LLC grew its holdings in Southern by 145.6% in the first quarter. Little House Capital LLC now owns 28,286 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,601,000 after purchasing an additional 16,771 shares during the period. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Southern

In related news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 13,158 shares of the company'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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 93,661 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,897,795. The trade was a 12.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The business 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. Southern's payout ratio is 70.64%.

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.