Hantz Financial Services Inc. Has $6.40 Million Stock Holdings in Southern Company (The) $SO

Hantz Financial Services Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SOFree Report) by 8.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 73,433 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 6,505 shares during the quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Southern were worth $6,403,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Southern during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in Southern during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new position in Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC increased its position in Southern by 120.1% during the 3rd quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 361 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in Southern during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southern

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

Southern Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE SO opened at $94.67 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.65. Southern Company has a 52-week low of $83.80 and a 52-week high of $100.83. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $95.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $91.79. The stock has a market cap of $106.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.36.

Southern (NYSE:SOGet Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.11. Southern had a net margin of 14.46% and a return on equity of 12.64%. The firm had revenue of $8.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.23 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Southern Company will post 4.57 EPS for the current year.

Southern Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. This is a boost from Southern’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.74. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.35%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $87.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research report on Thursday. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Southern from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $96.00 price target on shares of Southern and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, KeyCorp upgraded shares of Southern from an “underweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $99.56.

Check Out Our Latest Report on Southern

Southern Profile

(Free Report)

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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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Southern (NYSE:SO)

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