BCS Wealth Management Buys 9,808 Shares of Southern Company (The) $SO

BCS Wealth Management lifted its stake in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 221.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,238 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,808 shares during the period. BCS Wealth Management’s holdings in Southern were worth $1,242,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SO. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern in the third quarter worth $25,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Southern in the third quarter worth $29,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern in the third quarter worth $29,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Southern in the third quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Southern by 120.1% in the third quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 361 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. 64.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Southern Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:SO opened at $94.69 on Thursday. Southern Company has a 1 year low of $83.09 and a 1 year high of $100.83. The company has a market cap of $106.85 billion, a PE ratio of 24.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.47. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $95.49 and its 200 day moving average is $92.22.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.01). Southern had a net margin of 14.69% and a return on equity of 12.52%. The business had revenue of $6.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.50 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Southern Company will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $0.74 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 is 75.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Southern news, EVP Christopher Cummiskey sold 6,669 shares of the company’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 transaction of $643,891.95. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 30,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,973,740. This represents a 17.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.67, for a total value of $2,416,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 103,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,015,205.34. This represents a 19.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on SO. Wells Fargo & Company set a $96.00 price objective on Southern and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $102.00 price target on shares of Southern in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price target on Southern from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $98.69.

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.