Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) Receives $100.26 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have issued a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $100.0882.

Several analysts have weighed in on SO shares. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of Southern from $100.00 to $97.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Southern from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th.

Southern Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:SO opened at $92.83 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $106.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.34. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $94.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. Southern has a 12-month low of $83.80 and a 12-month high of $100.83.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $6.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.23 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 12.93% and a net margin of 15.43%.Southern’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.79 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Southern will post 4.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 72.90%.

Institutional Trading of Southern

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Evergreen Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Southern in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Ankerstar Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Southern during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in Southern in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. 64.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.