PDS Planning Inc Purchases 2,504 Shares of Southern Company (The) $SO

PDS Planning Inc boosted its position in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 70.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,034 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,504 shares during the quarter. PDS Planning Inc’s holdings in Southern were worth $554,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in SO. Ameriflex Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Southern by 275.0% in 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 in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Southern in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southern in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Southern in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 64.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Southern from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Southern from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Southern from $94.00 to $92.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Southern in a report on Monday, October 6th. They issued an “in-line” rating and a $103.00 price objective for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $96.31.

Insider Transactions at Southern

In other Southern news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 13,158 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total transaction of $1,250,010.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 93,661 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,897,795. This trade represents a 12.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Southern Stock Up 2.2%

Southern stock opened at $98.23 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.74. Southern Company has a 52-week low of $80.46 and a 52-week high of $98.36. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $93.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $91.73. The firm has a market cap of $108.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.25, a PEG ratio of 3.40 and a beta of 0.43.

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

Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th were issued a dividend of $0.74 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.09%.

Southern 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.