The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) Shares Bought by Cullinan Associates Inc.

Cullinan Associates Inc. raised its position in The Southern Company (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 85.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 141,362 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 65,135 shares during the quarter. Cullinan Associates Inc.'s holdings in Southern were worth $9,912,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of SO. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Southern by 3.1% during the third quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,883 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $316,000 after buying an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Southern by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 19,956 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,399,000 after buying an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. STAR Financial Bank grew its position in shares of Southern by 2.4% during the second quarter. STAR Financial Bank now owns 6,322 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $444,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Insight Inv LLC grew its position in shares of Southern by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Insight Inv LLC now owns 10,530 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $738,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Patten & Patten Inc. TN grew its position in shares of Southern by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Patten & Patten Inc. TN now owns 20,736 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,454,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company's stock.

Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SO traded down $0.19 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $69.86. 5,302,520 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,596,942. The Southern Company has a 52 week low of $61.56 and a 52 week high of $75.80. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $68.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $68.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.56. The company has a market cap of $76.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.27, a PEG ratio of 4.43 and a beta of 0.49.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The utilities provider reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $6.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.90 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 11.40% and a net margin of 15.79%. Southern's revenue was down 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.26 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Southern Company will post 4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. Southern's payout ratio is currently 77.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Stephen E. Kuczynski sold 5,000 shares of Southern stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.99, for a total transaction of $359,950.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 101,284 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,291,435.16. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Stephen E. Kuczynski sold 5,000 shares of Southern stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.99, for a total value of $359,950.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 101,284 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,291,435.16. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher Cummiskey sold 899 shares of Southern stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.06, for a total value of $60,286.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,502 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,508,984.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 25,998 shares of company stock valued at $1,806,063 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $80.00 price target on shares of Southern in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. UBS Group downgraded shares of Southern from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $78.00 to $76.00 in a report on Thursday. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Southern from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $76.00 price objective (up previously from $72.00) on shares of Southern in a report on Monday. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on Southern in a research note on Friday, December 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $82.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Southern currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $74.14.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.