Free Trial

The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) Shares Sold by Park Avenue Securities LLC

Southern logo with Utilities background

Park Avenue Securities LLC reduced its stake in The Southern Company (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 23.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 41,401 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 12,663 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC's holdings in Southern were worth $3,408,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Southern by 168.1% in the 3rd quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 311 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. West Branch Capital LLC increased its stake in Southern by 34.7% in 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. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new position in Southern during the third quarter worth about $49,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Southern in the 3rd quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, Activest Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at about $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on SO shares. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Southern from $93.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. UBS Group increased their target price on Southern from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Southern from $96.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Southern from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Southern from $71.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $90.14.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on SO

Insider Activity at Southern

In related news, EVP Martin Bernard Davis sold 1,170 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.90, for a total value of $100,503.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 88,393 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,592,958.70. This represents a 1.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Southern Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of SO traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $83.92. 5,406,741 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,658,440. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $84.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $86.19. The Southern Company has a 12-month low of $65.80 and a 12-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 firm has a market cap of $91.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.52.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. The firm 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 quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.42 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that The Southern Company will post 4.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

Featured Articles

Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Southern (NYSE:SO)

Should You Invest $1,000 in Southern Right Now?

Before you consider Southern, you'll want to hear this.

MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Southern wasn't on the list.

While Southern currently has a "Hold" rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.

View The Five Stocks Here

7 Energy Stocks to Buy and Hold Forever Cover

Do you expect the global demand for energy to shrink?! If not, it's time to take a look at how energy stocks can play a part in your portfolio.

Get This Free Report
Like this article? Share it with a colleague.

Featured Articles and Offers

Recent Videos

Crypto Boom 2025: Bitcoin’s Rise and Trump’s Impact on the Market
Goldman Sachs’ 2025 Market Outlook: Top 3 Stock Picks
7 Stocks to Benefit From Trump’s Tariffs in 2025

Stock Lists

All Stock Lists

Investing Tools

Calendars and Tools

Search Headlines