FY2027 EPS Estimates for Southern Lifted by Erste Group Bank

Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) – Equities research analysts at Erste Group Bank lifted their FY2027 earnings per share estimates for Southern in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, March 24th. Erste Group Bank analyst S. Lingnau now anticipates that the utilities provider will earn $4.92 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $4.91. The consensus estimate for Southern’s current full-year earnings is $4.29 per share.

SO has been the topic of several other research reports. Barclays lowered their target price on Southern from $91.00 to $88.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $102.00 price target on shares of Southern in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 6th. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Southern from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $96.00 target price on shares of Southern and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $98.08.

Southern Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of Southern stock opened at $94.51 on Thursday. Southern has a 1 year low of $83.09 and a 1 year high of $100.83. The company has a market cap of $104.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $93.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $91.78.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.01). Southern had a return on equity of 12.52% and a net margin of 14.69%.The business had revenue of $6.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.41 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.50 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a dividend of $0.74 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 75.32%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Christopher Cummiskey sold 6,669 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.55, for a total value of $643,891.95. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 30,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,973,740. The trade was a 17.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Southern

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SO. Old North State Trust LLC increased its stake in shares of Southern by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Old North State Trust LLC now owns 28,348 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,472,000 after purchasing an additional 779 shares during the last quarter. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $61,000. Cornerstone Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $836,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Southern by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 227,383 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $19,828,000 after purchasing an additional 3,342 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors increased its position in Southern by 53.7% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 30,100 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,625,000 after buying an additional 10,519 shares during the last quarter. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.