Southern Company (The) $SO Shares Acquired by Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH raised its holdings in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 1.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 617,113 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,595 shares during the period. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH owned about 0.06% of Southern worth $58,484,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Southern by 275.0% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Advantage Trust Co boosted its holdings in shares of Southern by 1,428.6% during the second quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 321 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. IMG Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Southern in the 2nd quarter worth about $38,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Southern by 309.5% in the 2nd quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Access Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on SO shares. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $102.50 price target (up from $99.50) on shares of Southern in a report on Friday, October 17th. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Southern in a research note on Monday, October 6th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $103.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Southern in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $112.00 price target on the stock. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Southern in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Southern currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $96.21.

Southern Stock Performance

NYSE:SO opened at $87.51 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $89.77 and a 200-day moving average of $92.12. The firm has a market cap of $96.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. Southern Company has a twelve month low of $80.46 and a twelve month high of $100.83.

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

Southern Dividend Announcement

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

Southern Company 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.