Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Has $324,000 Stake in Southern Company (The) $SO

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC trimmed its position in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 82.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,421 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 16,116 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Southern were worth $324,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Donaldson Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Southern by 2,785.8% in the third quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 563,027 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $53,358,000 after buying an additional 543,517 shares during the period. Matrix Trust Co acquired a new position in Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,813,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at $4,852,000. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Southern by 23.6% during the 2nd quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 7,145 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $656,000 after purchasing an additional 1,366 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Shelton Capital Management increased its position in shares of Southern by 700.6% in the second quarter. Shelton Capital Management now owns 161,618 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $14,841,000 after purchasing an additional 141,430 shares during the period. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on SO shares. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Southern from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $98.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Southern from $104.00 to $93.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 15th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $94.91.

Southern Stock Performance

NYSE:SO opened at $94.93 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $88.09 and its 200-day moving average is $91.33. Southern Company has a 1-year low of $83.09 and a 1-year high of $100.83. 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 stock has a market cap of $104.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.45.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a $0.74 dividend. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 73.27%.

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.