Albion Financial Group UT Has $6.68 Million Stake in Southern Company (The) $SO

Albion Financial Group UT decreased its holdings in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 7.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 76,649 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 6,007 shares during the quarter. Albion Financial Group UT’s holdings in Southern were worth $6,684,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SO. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Southern during the third quarter worth $25,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Southern during the third quarter worth $29,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Southern during the third quarter worth $29,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new stake in Southern during 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 valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on SO shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $102.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Truist Financial set a $103.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, February 20th. KeyCorp raised shares of Southern from an “underweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Evercore upgraded shares of Southern from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $111.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $98.08.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Southern Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of Southern stock opened at $96.94 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $106.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.67, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. Southern Company has a 12-month low of $83.09 and a 12-month high of $100.83. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $94.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $92.06.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). The firm had revenue of $6.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.41 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 12.52% and a net margin of 14.69%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.50 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a $0.74 dividend. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 75.32%.

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.