Retirement Guys Formula LLC Makes New Investment in Southern Company (The) $SO

Retirement Guys Formula LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 6,539 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $620,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC raised its position in Southern by 2.3% during the second quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 4,697 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $431,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Southern by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 15,667 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,485,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Sara Bay Financial raised its holdings in Southern by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Sara Bay Financial now owns 4,133 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $392,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. Delta Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Southern by 4.6% in the second quarter. Delta Investment Management LLC now owns 2,579 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $237,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marco Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Southern by 1.1% during the second quarter. Marco Investment Management LLC now owns 10,234 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $940,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Southern Price Performance

Southern stock opened at $87.23 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $96.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.45. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $89.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $92.04. Southern Company has a 1 year low of $80.46 and a 1 year high of $100.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.59.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $7.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.04 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 12.52% and a net margin of 15.42%.Southern’s revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.39 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were paid a dividend of $0.74 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 73.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on SO. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Southern from $97.00 to $88.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Southern from $98.00 to $94.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Southern in a research report on Monday, October 27th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $97.00 target price for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Southern in a report on Monday, October 6th. They issued an “in-line” rating and a $103.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Southern has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $96.21.

About Southern

Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is an Atlanta-based energy holding company that provides electric and gas utility services and owns power generation assets across the United States. Founded in 1945, the company operates a portfolio of regulated electric utilities and affiliated businesses that generate, transmit and distribute electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers.

Southern’s principal regulated electric subsidiaries include Georgia Power, Alabama Power and Mississippi Power, which serve large portions of the southeastern United States.