UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Increases Position in Southern Company (The) $SO

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd lifted its position in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 17.8% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 87,208 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,193 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Southern were worth $8,265,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Southern by 275.0% in the second quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the period. Advantage Trust Co boosted its position in Southern by 1,428.6% in the second quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 321 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Southern in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new position in Southern during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Southern Price Performance

NYSE:SO opened at $87.52 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. Southern Company has a 52 week low of $82.05 and a 52 week high of $100.83. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $87.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $91.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.37 billion, a PE ratio of 21.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.46.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $7.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.04 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 12.52% and a net margin of 15.42%.Southern’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.39 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Southern Company will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of Southern in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $102.50 price target (up from $99.50) on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research note on Wednesday. Scotiabank restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $99.00 target price on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Southern from $104.00 to $93.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $94.91.

Southern Profile

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.