Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Purchases 9,895 Shares of Southern Company (The) $SO

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 2.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 391,245 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,895 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Southern were worth $34,117,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gentry Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in Southern by 2.3% in the third quarter. Gentry Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,991 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $473,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Southern by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,534 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,188,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. boosted its position in Southern by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 2,446 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $213,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Southern by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 28,741 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,724,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Patton Fund Management Inc. boosted its position in Southern by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Patton Fund Management Inc. now owns 2,556 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $223,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Southern Stock Up 0.7%

Southern stock opened at $93.90 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $105.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.89, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.34. Southern Company has a 1-year low of $83.80 and a 1-year high of $100.83. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $93.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $91.95.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $8.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.07 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 12.64% and a net margin of 14.46%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.23 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Southern Company will post 4.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. This is a positive change from Southern’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.74. Southern’s payout ratio is 77.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on SO. Mizuho set a $105.00 target price on Southern in a research report on Friday, May 1st. KeyCorp raised Southern from an “underweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $104.00 target price on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Seaport Research Partners cut Southern from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on Southern from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $99.38.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.67, for a total value of $2,416,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 103,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,015,205.34. This trade represents a 19.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher Cummiskey sold 6,669 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.55, for a total value of $643,891.95. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,973,740. The trade was a 17.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Southern Company 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.