The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) Shares Acquired by Baltimore Washington Financial Advisors Inc.

Baltimore Washington Financial Advisors Inc. increased its position in The Southern Company (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 85,624 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 3,029 shares during the period. Baltimore Washington Financial Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Southern were worth $7,049,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of SO. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Southern by 168.1% during the third quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 311 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the period. WFA Asset Management Corp boosted its stake in Southern by 84.9% in the 4th quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 429 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. grew its holdings in Southern by 244.4% in the 4th quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 434 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 308 shares during the period. Finally, West Branch Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Southern by 34.7% during the 3rd quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 501 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on SO shares. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Southern from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Southern from $99.00 to $97.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Southern from $96.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays boosted their price target on Southern from $71.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Southern from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Southern currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $89.79.

Southern Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of SO traded up $0.64 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $83.84. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,161,495 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,228,448. The Southern Company has a twelve month low of $65.80 and a twelve month high of $94.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66. The company has a market cap of $91.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a fifty day moving average of $83.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $86.67.

Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.44%. Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.98%.

Insider Transactions at Southern

In other news, EVP Martin Bernard Davis sold 1,170 shares of Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.90, for a total value of $100,503.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 88,393 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,592,958.70. This trade represents a 1.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Southern Company Profile

The Southern Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. The company also develops, constructs, acquires, owns, and manages power generation assets, including renewable energy projects and sells electricity in the wholesale market; and distributes natural gas in Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee, as well as provides gas marketing services, gas distribution operations, and gas pipeline investments operations.