Zhang Financial LLC Sells 405 Shares of The Southern Company (NYSE:SO)

Zhang Financial LLC decreased its position in The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) by 7.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 4,941 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 405 shares during the quarter. Zhang Financial LLC’s holdings in Southern were worth $346,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rockline Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Southern in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,945,000. Zullo Investment Group Inc. increased its stake in Southern by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Zullo Investment Group Inc. now owns 3,437 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $241,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its stake in Southern by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 14,856 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,045,000 after acquiring an additional 819 shares during the last quarter. Apella Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Southern during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $301,000. Finally, Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC bought a new position in shares of Southern during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,795,000. Institutional investors own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Southern Price Performance

Shares of SO stock opened at $72.15 on Friday. The Southern Company has a twelve month low of $61.56 and a twelve month high of $75.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.88, a P/E/G ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.49. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $69.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $69.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The utilities provider reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.05. Southern had a return on equity of 11.40% and a net margin of 15.79%. The business had revenue of $6.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.26 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that The Southern Company will post 4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on SO shares. UBS Group downgraded Southern from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $78.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $80.00 target price on shares of Southern in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Barclays boosted their target price on Southern from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Mizuho boosted their target price on Southern from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $76.00 target price (up previously from $72.00) on shares of Southern in a research report on Monday, April 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Southern has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.07.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Southern news, EVP Christopher Cummiskey sold 899 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.06, for a total value of $60,286.94. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,502 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,508,984.12. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, EVP Christopher Cummiskey sold 899 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.06, for a total transaction of $60,286.94. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,502 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,508,984.12. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Stephen E. Kuczynski sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.92, for a total value of $344,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 126,528 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,720,309.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,899 shares of company stock worth $739,587. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.