Southern Company (The) $SO Shares Sold by Envestnet Asset Management Inc.

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 0.8% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,475,729 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 20,803 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Southern were worth $227,346,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. raised its position in 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 acquiring an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Cheviot Value Management LLC acquired a new position in Southern during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Advantage Trust Co raised its position in Southern by 1,428.6% during the second quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 321 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new position in Southern during the first quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Southern during the first quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Southern Price Performance

SO opened at $95.62 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. Southern Company has a 52-week low of $80.46 and a 52-week high of $100.83. The company has a 50 day moving average of $94.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $92.36. The company has a market cap of $105.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.58, a P/E/G ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.43.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last announced its 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). Southern had a net margin of 15.10% and a return on equity of 12.09%. The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.10 earnings per share. Southern’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. On average, analysts expect that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 8th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th will be paid a $0.74 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Southern’s payout ratio is 76.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on SO. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Southern in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $112.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Southern from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $99.00 price target on shares of Southern in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Southern from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $99.66.

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.