Financial Security Advisor Inc. Boosts Holdings in The Southern Company (NYSE:SO)

Financial Security Advisor Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Southern Company (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 213.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,111 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 8,248 shares during the quarter. Financial Security Advisor Inc.'s holdings in Southern were worth $1,092,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new position in shares of Southern during the 1st quarter valued at $39,000. Cedar Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Southern by 63.2% during the first quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC now owns 545 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southern during the 2nd quarter worth about $39,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Southern by 31.8% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 585 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Finally, West Branch Capital LLC grew its holdings in Southern by 34.7% during the third quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 501 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on SO. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Southern from $93.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Mizuho downgraded shares of Southern from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $90.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Monday, September 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Southern from $83.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Southern from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Southern from $77.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $89.27.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Bryan D. Anderson sold 6,565 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, September 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.54, for a total value of $587,830.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,467 shares in the company, valued at $3,981,575.18. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO James Y. Kerr II sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.64, for a total value of $2,689,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 145,088 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,005,688.32. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Bryan D. Anderson sold 6,565 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.54, for a total value of $587,830.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,467 shares in the company, valued at $3,981,575.18. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Southern Stock Performance

SO stock traded down $1.30 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $87.40. 4,708,139 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,464,084. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $89.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $83.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $95.76 billion, a PE ratio of 20.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.52. The Southern Company has a 1-year low of $65.80 and a 1-year high of $94.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $7.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.14 billion. Southern had a net margin of 17.87% and a return on equity of 12.78%. The firm's revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.42 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Southern Company will post 4.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.30%. Southern's dividend payout ratio is 66.98%.

About Southern

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.