Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Southern Company (NYSE:SO) has received an average analyst rating of "Hold" from thirteen research firms, with one sell, seven hold, and five buy ratings.
• The company's recent quarterly earnings reported earnings per share (EPS) of $0.91, missing the consensus estimate of $0.99, while revenue increased by 7.9% year-over-year.
• Southern recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.74, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 3.2%, with a payout ratio of 76.09%.

Shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Hold" from the thirteen research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $94.9231.

Several analysts have recently commented on SO shares. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Southern from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Southern from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Southern from $98.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $98.00 price objective for the company.

Insider Transactions at Southern

In related news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 13,158 shares of Southern 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 93,661 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,897,795. This trade represents a 12.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Southern

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SO. Investors Research Corp grew its position in Southern by 400.0% in the 1st quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 270 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its position in Southern by 275.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the period. Cheviot Value Management LLC acquired a new stake in Southern in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Advantage Trust Co lifted its stake in Southern by 1,428.6% during the 2nd quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 321 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new position in Southern during the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company's stock.

Southern Stock Up 0.4%

Southern stock opened at $91.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.74. Southern has a 52-week low of $80.46 and a 52-week high of $96.44. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $93.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $91.20. The firm has a market cap of $101.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.61, a PEG ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.41.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.99 by ($0.08). Southern had a return on equity of 12.09% and a net margin of 15.10%.The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.70 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.10 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Southern has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 1.500-1.500 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 4.200-4.300 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Southern will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were given a $0.74 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.09%.

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.

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