Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Lowers Position in Southern Company (The) $SO

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lessened its holdings in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 9.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 32,489 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,555 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Southern were worth $2,983,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in SO. Ameriflex Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Southern by 275.0% in the second quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Cheviot Value Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern in the first quarter worth $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Southern in the first quarter worth $33,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern in the first quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Rossby Financial LCC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern in the first quarter worth $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Southern Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of NYSE:SO opened at $98.23 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $93.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $91.74. Southern Company has a 12-month low of $80.46 and a 12-month high of $98.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $108.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.40 and a beta of 0.43. 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 (NYSE:SO) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.70 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.10 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue 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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th were paid a dividend of $0.74 per share. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Southern from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Southern from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Southern from $94.00 to $92.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Southern currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $96.31.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 13,158 shares of the firm’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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Southern 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.