Capital Investment Counsel LLC Sells 5,405 Shares of Southern Company (The) $SO

Capital Investment Counsel LLC cut its holdings in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 8.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 60,671 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 5,405 shares during the quarter. Capital Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Southern were worth $5,750,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of SO. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southern during the third quarter worth $25,000. Advantage Trust Co boosted its stake in Southern by 1,428.6% in the 2nd quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 321 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Southern during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Southern by 120.1% in the 3rd quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 361 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. 64.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Southern Stock Up 1.9%

NYSE:SO opened at $92.61 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $101.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. Southern Company has a twelve month low of $83.09 and a twelve month high of $100.83. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $87.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $91.38.

Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a $0.74 dividend. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on SO. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Southern from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $97.00 to $84.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $105.00 price target on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Southern from $98.00 to $94.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Southern from $104.00 to $93.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $94.91.

Southern 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.