Probity Advisors Inc. Sells 500 Shares of Southern Company (The) $SO

Probity Advisors Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 8.5% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 5,400 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 500 shares during the period. Probity Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Southern were worth $496,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. increased its holdings in Southern by 275.0% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Cheviot Value Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southern during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Southern in the 1st quarter worth $33,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southern during the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Rossby Financial LCC bought a new stake in Southern in the first quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Southern Price Performance

Shares of SO opened at $97.80 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $94.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.05. Southern Company has a 1-year low of $80.46 and a 1-year high of $100.83. The company has a market cap of $107.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.14, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.43.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.70 billion. Southern had a net margin of 15.10% and a return on equity of 12.09%. The business’s revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.10 EPS. Southern has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 1.500-1.500 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 4.200-4.300 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be paid a $0.74 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.09%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on SO shares. Cowen initiated coverage on Southern in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Scotiabank reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $99.00 target price on shares of Southern in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Mizuho increased their price objective on Southern from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Southern from $94.00 to $92.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Barclays set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $98.83.

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.