Nepsis Inc. Has $1.74 Million Stake in The Southern Company (NYSE:SO)

Nepsis Inc. lowered its position in The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) by 3.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 24,844 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 918 shares during the period. Southern accounts for approximately 0.5% of Nepsis Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Nepsis Inc.’s holdings in Southern were worth $1,742,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southern in the 4th quarter worth approximately $693,000. Good Life Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Southern by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 19,956 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,399,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Successful Portfolios LLC increased its stake in shares of Southern by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. Successful Portfolios LLC now owns 9,492 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $666,000 after acquiring an additional 610 shares in the last quarter. Courier Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Southern by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Courier Capital LLC now owns 35,091 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,461,000 after acquiring an additional 984 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFG Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of Southern by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. IFG Advisory LLC now owns 87,591 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,142,000 after acquiring an additional 1,436 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SO traded up $1.79 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $71.06. The company had a trading volume of 4,328,279 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,605,795. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $68.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $68.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The stock has a market cap of $77.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.57, a P/E/G ratio of 4.36 and a beta of 0.49. The Southern Company has a 52-week low of $61.56 and a 52-week high of $75.80.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 15th. The utilities provider reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $6.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.90 billion. Southern had a net margin of 15.79% and a return on equity of 11.40%. The company’s revenue was down 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.26 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Southern Company will post 4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on SO shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Southern from $75.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Southern from $68.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, December 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $82.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Southern from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $80.00 price target on shares of Southern in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $73.46.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southern

In other news, insider David P. Poroch sold 10,099 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.96, for a total transaction of $706,526.04. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 28,691 shares in the company, valued at $2,007,222.36. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, CEO Stephen E. Kuczynski sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.94, for a total transaction of $334,700.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 129,552 shares in the company, valued at $8,672,210.88. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider David P. Poroch sold 10,099 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.96, for a total value of $706,526.04. Following the sale, the insider now owns 28,691 shares in the company, valued at $2,007,222.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 25,998 shares of company stock valued at $1,806,063 over the last three months. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Southern Company 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.