Cerity Partners LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Southern Company (The) $SO

Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 233,670 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,139 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Southern were worth $22,153,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Southern by 275.0% during the second quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Advantage Trust Co grew its stake in Southern by 1,428.6% during the 2nd quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 321 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Southern in the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Southern by 309.5% during the second quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at $40,000. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southern Stock Down 0.3%

SO stock opened at $87.00 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $88.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $91.95. Southern Company has a 52 week low of $80.50 and a 52 week high of $100.83. The company has a market cap of $95.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.46.

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

Southern Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. KeyCorp reduced their price objective on Southern from $87.00 to $76.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. BTIG Research started coverage on Southern in a report 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 report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Southern from $104.00 to $93.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $96.21.

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.