Southern (NYSE:SO) PT Raised to $76.00 at Mizuho

Southern (NYSE:SO - Free Report) had its price target increased by Mizuho from $73.00 to $76.00 in a report released on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the utilities provider's stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on SO. Royal Bank of Canada restated an outperform rating and issued a $80.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Southern in a report on Friday, December 8th. They issued a buy rating and a $82.00 price objective for the company. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Southern from $68.00 to $67.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Southern from $75.00 to $72.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an outperform rating and set a $76.00 price target (up from $72.00) on shares of Southern in a report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $74.00.

Southern Price Performance

Southern stock traded up $0.25 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $71.35. 3,829,476 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,572,321. Southern has a one year low of $61.56 and a one year high of $75.80. The stock has a market cap of $77.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $68.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $68.89.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The utilities provider reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.05. Southern had a net margin of 15.79% and a return on equity of 11.40%. The business had revenue of $6.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.90 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.26 earnings per share. Southern's revenue for the quarter was down 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Southern will post 4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. Southern's payout ratio is currently 77.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southern

In other news, CEO Stephen E. Kuczynski sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.99, for a total value of $359,950.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 101,284 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,291,435.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CEO Stephen E. Kuczynski sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.99, for a total value of $359,950.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 101,284 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,291,435.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Christopher Cummiskey sold 899 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.06, for a total transaction of $60,286.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 22,502 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,508,984.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 25,998 shares of company stock valued at $1,806,063. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Intrepid Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Southern in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Southern in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Southern in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. bought a new position in shares of Southern in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 64.10% of the company's stock.

Southern Company 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.