Dearborn Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO – Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 16,886 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,616,000.
Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of SO. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Southern during the fourth quarter worth $1,111,450,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in shares of Southern in the second quarter valued at $737,256,000. Capital World Investors lifted its position in shares of Southern by 22.6% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 41,142,076 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,587,589,000 after acquiring an additional 7,593,224 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of Southern by 18.7% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 34,459,462 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,004,866,000 after buying an additional 5,436,212 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at $264,829,000. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Southern Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE:SO opened at $88.94 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $94.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.42. Southern Company has a one year low of $83.80 and a one year high of $100.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.79. The company has a market cap of $102.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.33, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.34.
Southern Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 72.90%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
SO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $104.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Southern from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Southern from $92.00 to $89.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 21st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Southern from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $100.09.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on SO
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.
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