Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the nineteen analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $94.9118.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on SO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Southern from $104.00 to $93.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 15th. Barclays lowered their target price on Southern from $91.00 to $88.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Southern in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Southern from $104.00 to $93.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern in a report on Wednesday, January 21st.

Southern Price Performance

Shares of SO stock opened at $92.00 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. Southern has a 12-month low of $83.09 and a 12-month high of $100.83. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $88.22 and a 200-day moving average of $91.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $101.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.45.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a $0.74 dividend. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. Southern’s payout ratio is 73.27%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southern

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Southern by 17.5% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 34,003 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,127,000 after purchasing an additional 5,067 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in shares of Southern by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 65,349 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,958,000 after buying an additional 1,063 shares during the last quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Southern by 10.2% during the 2nd quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,853 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $354,000 after buying an additional 357 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR grew its holdings in shares of Southern by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 117,189 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $10,761,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its position in shares of Southern by 0.7% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 59,217 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,438,000 after acquiring an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

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.