Southern (NYSE:SO) Stock Rating Upgraded by Evercore ISI

Key Points

• Southern (NYSE:SO) was upgraded to a "hold" rating by Evercore ISI, reflecting a shift in analyst sentiment toward the stock.
• The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) in its last earnings report, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.99 by $0.08.
• Southern's stock has a market cap of $106.03 billion and a 12-month price range between $80.46 and $96.77, indicating some volatility within the year.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Evercore ISI to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Southern from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Southern from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Southern from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $98.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Southern from $94.00 to $92.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $95.77.

Southern Stock Performance

Southern stock opened at $96.39 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. Southern has a 1 year low of $80.46 and a 1 year high of $96.77. The company has a market cap of $106.03 billion, a PE ratio of 24.78, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.43. The company's 50-day moving average is $93.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $91.56.

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

Insider Transactions at Southern

In other news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 13,158 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total transaction of $1,250,010.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 93,661 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,897,795. This trade represents a 12.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Southern during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,352,000. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Southern by 35.8% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 116,059 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $10,672,000 after acquiring an additional 30,618 shares in the last quarter. Investors Research Corp grew its stake in shares of Southern by 1,982.6% during the 2nd quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 5,623 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $516,000 after acquiring an additional 5,353 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank grew its stake in shares of Southern by 6.8% during the 2nd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 268,648 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $24,670,000 after acquiring an additional 17,111 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Southern by 23.2% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 21,253 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,954,000 after acquiring an additional 4,005 shares in the last quarter. 64.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Southern

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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