Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC Increases Stake in Southern Company (The) $SO

Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 158,717 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,856 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC’s holdings in Southern were worth $15,046,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Southern by 17.5% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 34,003 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,127,000 after acquiring an additional 5,067 shares during the period. Kathmere Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Southern by 16.3% in the second quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 2,579 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares in the last quarter. Patton Fund Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at $224,000. ORG Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Southern by 14.2% during the 2nd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 2,629 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $242,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hengehold Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Southern by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Hengehold Capital Management LLC now owns 48,042 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,412,000 after purchasing an additional 269 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Southern Price Performance

Shares of Southern stock opened at $87.52 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.75. Southern Company has a 52-week low of $82.05 and a 52-week high of $100.83. The company has a fifty day moving average of $87.60 and a 200-day moving average of $91.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.09. Southern had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 12.52%. The business had revenue of $7.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.39 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Southern Company will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on SO shares. Mizuho decreased their price target on Southern from $97.00 to $88.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Southern in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Southern from $104.00 to $93.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 15th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research note on Wednesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $94.91.

About Southern

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.