The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

The Southern Company (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the thirteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $74.71.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on SO shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $80.00 target price on shares of Southern in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Southern from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. UBS Group downgraded shares of Southern from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $78.00 to $76.00 in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Southern from $72.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Southern from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd.

Southern Stock Up 0.8 %

NYSE:SO traded up $0.62 on Thursday, hitting $78.25. 5,475,011 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,852,435. Southern has a 52 week low of $61.56 and a 52 week high of $78.29. The company has a market cap of $85.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $70.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $69.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.65.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The utilities provider reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.13. Southern had a net margin of 16.74% and a return on equity of 12.07%. The business had revenue of $6.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.79 EPS. Southern's quarterly revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Southern will post 3.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 20th will be issued a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.68%. This is a boost from Southern's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 17th. Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.42%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Southern news, CEO Stephen E. Kuczynski sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.92, for a total value of $344,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 126,528 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,720,309.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 9,126 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.04, for a total transaction of $684,815.04. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 121,504 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,117,660.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Stephen E. Kuczynski sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.92, for a total transaction of $344,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 126,528 shares in the company, valued at $8,720,309.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 19,126 shares of company stock worth $1,364,115. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blair William & Co. IL grew its stake in Southern by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 91,898 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $6,593,000 after buying an additional 1,415 shares in the last quarter. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in Southern by 86.2% during the 1st quarter. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 5,400 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $387,000 after buying an additional 2,500 shares during the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Southern by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 27,957 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,006,000 after buying an additional 1,298 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Southern by 18.1% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,290,849 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $92,606,000 after acquiring an additional 198,164 shares during the period. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System raised its stake in shares of Southern by 0.5% during the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 1,218,465 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $84,781,000 after acquiring an additional 6,074 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.