Southern Company (The) $SO Shares Bought by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 23.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 66,631 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,472 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Southern were worth $6,431,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Spirepoint Private Client LLC raised its stake in Southern by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. Spirepoint Private Client LLC now owns 97,631 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $8,513,000 after acquiring an additional 11,460 shares in the last quarter. Marble Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Southern in the fourth quarter worth $4,443,000. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO grew its stake in shares of Southern by 243.3% in the fourth quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 20,816 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,815,000 after purchasing an additional 14,753 shares in the last quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southern during the fourth quarter valued at $2,462,000. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its holdings in shares of Southern by 20.5% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 99,386 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $8,667,000 after purchasing an additional 16,878 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on SO shares. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Southern in a report on Friday, April 10th. Mizuho set a $106.00 target price on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Southern from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Southern from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $100.26.

Southern Stock Up 0.5%

SO opened at $94.79 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.79. The company has a market capitalization of $106.86 billion, a PE ratio of 22.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.34. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $94.59 and its 200-day moving average is $94.00. Southern Company has a one year low of $83.80 and a one year high of $100.83.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.12. Southern had a net margin of 15.43% and a return on equity of 12.93%. The firm had revenue of $6.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.79 earnings per share. Southern’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Southern Company will post 4.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. Southern’s payout ratio is presently 72.90%.

Key Headlines Impacting Southern

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter earnings beat expectations: Southern reported adjusted EPS of $1.13, above the $1.01 analyst consensus and up from $0.91 a year earlier. The company’s reported earnings were $1.2 billion, or $1.03 per share, compared with $0.9 billion, or $0.80 per share, in the prior-year quarter. Southern Co. Beats Q2 Earnings Estimates Southern Company Reports Second-Quarter 2026 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Capacity expansion is positioning the utility for load growth: Georgia Power is developing nearly 1,500 megawatts of new natural-gas generation and 500 megawatts of battery storage at Plant Bowen. The projects could support reliability and future demand from industrial customers and data centers, although they also require substantial capital investment. Georgia Power and Officials Celebrate Plant Bowen Investments
• Positive Sentiment: Energy-storage and AI demand provide longer-term catalysts: Georgia Power completed the Moody Battery Energy Storage System, expanding Southern’s regulated storage platform. Analysts also point to large-load contracts and a reported 25-year OpenAI power agreement as potential drivers of future utility demand. Southern Completes Moody Battery Project Southern Company AI Data Center Opportunity
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue growth remained weak: Quarterly revenue was $6.98 billion, below the $7.23 billion consensus and up only 0.1% year over year, tempering the significance of the EPS beat. Southern Q2 Key Metrics Versus Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term guidance was slightly cautious: Third-quarter EPS guidance of $1.65 was below the $1.67 consensus, while the $4.50–$4.60 full-year 2026 range brackets but centers below the $4.57 estimate. The 2028 range of $5.25–$5.45, however, is at least in line with current expectations.

Southern Company 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.