D L Carlson Investment Group Inc. Acquires Shares of 46,430 Southern Company (The) $SO

D L Carlson Investment Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 46,430 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,444,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of SO. Evergreen Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Southern during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Southern during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Ankerstar Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southern in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on SO shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Southern in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $104.00 target price on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Southern from $100.00 to $97.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $100.09.

Southern Stock Performance

SO stock opened at $91.47 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The firm has a market cap of $105.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.34. Southern Company has a 12-month low of $83.80 and a 12-month high of $100.83. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $94.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.44.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.12. Southern had a net margin of 15.43% and a return on equity of 12.93%. The firm had revenue of $6.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.79 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Southern Company will post 4.58 EPS for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.90%.

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.