Dakota Wealth Management Sells 105,154 Shares of Southern Company (The) $SO

Dakota Wealth Management decreased its position in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 93.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,305 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 105,154 shares during the period. Dakota Wealth Management’s holdings in Southern were worth $637,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of SO. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southern during the third quarter worth $25,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southern in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new position in Southern during the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Southern by 120.1% during the 3rd quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 361 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Southern news, EVP Christopher Cummiskey sold 6,669 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.55, for a total value of $643,891.95. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,973,740. This represents a 17.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SO opened at $96.98 on Tuesday. Southern Company has a 52 week low of $83.09 and a 52 week high of $100.83. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $93.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $91.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The firm has a market cap of $106.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.44.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last posted 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 return on equity of 12.52% and a net margin of 14.69%.The business had revenue of $6.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.41 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.50 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given 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 yield of 3.1%. Southern’s payout ratio is currently 75.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. Mizuho set a $104.00 price objective on shares of Southern and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $102.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Southern from $104.00 to $93.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Southern currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $98.08.

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.