Montag A & Associates Inc. Sells 864 Shares of Southern Company (The) $SO

Montag A & Associates Inc. decreased its position in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 49,499 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 864 shares during the quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Southern were worth $4,545,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Southern by 20.0% in the 1st quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 6,884 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $633,000 after buying an additional 1,149 shares in the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Southern in the first quarter valued at about $204,000. Aurora Investment Counsel bought a new stake in shares of Southern in the first quarter worth about $2,529,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in shares of Southern by 3.6% during the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 50,501 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,644,000 after purchasing an additional 1,741 shares during the period. Finally, Apollon Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Southern by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 73,379 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,747,000 after purchasing an additional 484 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Southern Price Performance

NYSE SO opened at $90.78 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $94.16 and its 200-day moving average is $92.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The company has a market capitalization of $99.96 billion, a PE ratio of 23.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.45. Southern Company has a 12-month low of $80.46 and a 12-month high of $100.83.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.09. Southern had a net margin of 15.10% and a return on equity of 12.09%. The business had revenue of $7.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.39 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 8th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.74 per share. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.27%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group increased their target price on Southern from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Southern in a report on Monday, October 27th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $97.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Southern from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada raised shares of Southern to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Southern from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $99.56.

Southern 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.