The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) Receives $92.21 Average Price Target from Brokerages

The Southern Company (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Hold" by the fifteen research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have given a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $92.21.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on SO. Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $93.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays upped their target price on Southern from $83.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. KeyCorp lowered Southern from a "sector weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and set a $78.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Southern from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $94.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th.

Southern Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:SO traded up $1.31 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $90.79. 9,610,871 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,461,606. Southern has a twelve month low of $76.64 and a twelve month high of $94.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $99.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.64, a PEG ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.40. The business's fifty day moving average price is $89.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $87.14.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.03. Southern had a return on equity of 12.23% and a net margin of 16.47%. The company had revenue of $7.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.17 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.03 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 17.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Southern will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a $0.74 dividend. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.26%. This is an increase from Southern's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 70.64%.

Insider Activity at Southern

In related news, EVP Martin Bernard Davis sold 1,125 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.61, for a total value of $100,811.25. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 102,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,148,284.90. This trade represents a 1.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 32,190 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.12, for a total value of $2,997,532.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 106,819 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,946,985.28. The trade was a 23.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southern

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Southern in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Investors Research Corp boosted its position in Southern by 400.0% in the first quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 270 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new position in Southern in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Cheviot Value Management LLC purchased a new position in Southern in the first quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new position in Southern in the first quarter worth $33,000. 64.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.