Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft Acquires Shares of 7,974 The Southern Company (NYSE:SO)

Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft bought a new position in The Southern Company (NYSE:SO - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 7,974 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $609,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. ORG Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Southern by 454.8% in the 2nd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 2,985 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $230,000 after buying an additional 2,447 shares in the last quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. grew its position in Southern by 6.3% in the second quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 5,714 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $443,000 after acquiring an additional 341 shares in the last quarter. IVC Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Southern by 18.3% during the 2nd quarter. IVC Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,806 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $606,000 after purchasing an additional 1,205 shares during the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Southern by 9.5% during the 2nd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 56,988 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,421,000 after purchasing an additional 4,927 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Southern by 10.1% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 355,873 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $27,605,000 after purchasing an additional 32,579 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company's stock.

Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SO traded down $0.18 on Thursday, hitting $87.01. 2,798,040 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,484,767. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company's 50 day moving average price is $81.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.05. The Southern Company has a one year low of $61.56 and a one year high of $89.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $95.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.37, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.51.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.19. Southern had a return on equity of 12.88% and a net margin of 17.67%. The firm had revenue of $6.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.79 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 12.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that The Southern Company will post 4.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Monday, August 19th will be given a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 19th. Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.42%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Southern from $83.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Southern from $80.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Monday. Wolfe Research downgraded Southern from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Southern from $77.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Southern from $66.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $82.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Southern news, EVP Sterling A. Jr. Spainhour sold 2,380 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.99, for a total value of $211,796.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,500 shares in the company, valued at $1,112,375. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Southern news, EVP Sloane N. Drake sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.61, for a total transaction of $931,320.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,771 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,301,597.31. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sterling A. Jr. Spainhour sold 2,380 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.99, for a total transaction of $211,796.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 12,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,112,375. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 21,280 shares of company stock worth $1,678,625 in the last 90 days. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.

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