Southern (NYSE:SO) Earns Buy (B) Rating from Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• Southern's stock has been restated with a "buy (B)" rating by Weiss Ratings, indicating positive outlook by analysts.
• Various analysts have set target prices for Southern's stock, with estimates ranging from $90.00 to $99.00, and a consensus price target of $95.77.
• Despite a recent stock price drop, Southern reported revenue of $6.97 billion for the last quarter, surpassing expectations and reflecting a 7.9% year-over-year increase.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy (b)" rating restated by Weiss Ratings in a research report issued on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Raymond James Financial started coverage on Southern in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $98.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho upped their price target on Southern from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Southern from $94.00 to $92.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Barclays boosted their target price on Southern from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Scotiabank reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $99.00 target price on shares of Southern in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $95.77.

Southern Stock Down 0.3%

SO stock traded down $0.25 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $96.17. The stock had a trading volume of 3,700,429 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,559,254. The firm has a market cap of $105.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.43. The business has a 50-day moving average of $93.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $91.59. Southern has a 52-week low of $80.46 and a 52-week high of $96.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.54.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Southern news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 13,158 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 21st. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $8,897,795. This represents a 12.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Southern

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Southern by 275.0% during the second quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Cheviot Value Management LLC purchased a new position in Southern during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Advantage Trust Co grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Southern in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southern in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 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.

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