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Insider Selling: Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) CEO Sells 13,158 Shares of Stock

Southern logo with Utilities background

Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) 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 value of $1,250,010.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 93,661 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,897,795. This represents a 12.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Southern Stock Up 0.5%

NYSE SO traded up $0.44 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $95.44. 3,069,723 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,644,116. The business's 50-day moving average is $90.74 and its 200-day moving average is $88.88. Southern Company has a twelve month low of $80.46 and a twelve month high of $96.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $104.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.38.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.03. Southern had a return on equity of 12.70% and a net margin of 16.54%. The firm had revenue of $7.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.03 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 17.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a $0.74 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.10%. Southern's payout ratio is 70.64%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Southern from $94.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Southern from $95.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. KeyCorp downgraded Southern from a "sector weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and set a $78.00 price target for the company. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on 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 increased their price target on Southern from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $93.53.

Get Our Latest Analysis on Southern

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in SO. Investors Research Corp increased its stake in Southern by 400.0% during the 1st quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 270 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Southern by 275.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Cheviot Value Management LLC bought a new stake in Southern in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new stake in Southern in the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Southern during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 64.10% of the company's stock.

Southern Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

See Also

Insider Buying and Selling by Quarter for Southern (NYSE:SO)

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