Strategic Blueprint LLC Raises Position in The Southern Company (NYSE:SO)

Strategic Blueprint LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 15,767 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 212 shares during the period. Strategic Blueprint LLC’s holdings in Southern were worth $1,298,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Southern by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 77,493 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $6,502,000 after buying an additional 3,580 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its holdings in shares of Southern by 18.6% during the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 164,265 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $13,522,000 after purchasing an additional 25,818 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Southern during the 4th quarter valued at $528,000. Fulton Breakefield Broenniman LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Southern by 32.6% during the 4th quarter. Fulton Breakefield Broenniman LLC now owns 5,008 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $412,000 after purchasing an additional 1,230 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Orca Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern during the 4th quarter valued at $369,000. Institutional investors own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Southern Price Performance

NYSE:SO opened at $82.88 on Thursday. The Southern Company has a 52 week low of $65.80 and a 52 week high of $94.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.81 billion, a PE ratio of 19.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.52. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $84.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $86.57.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.10. Southern had a return on equity of 12.78% and a net margin of 17.87%. The firm had revenue of $7.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.14 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.42 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that The Southern Company will post 4.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Southern’s payout ratio is 66.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Martin Bernard Davis sold 1,170 shares of Southern stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.90, for a total value of $100,503.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 88,393 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,592,958.70. The trade was a 1.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on SO shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Southern from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Guggenheim lowered Southern from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Scotiabank raised their target price on Southern from $96.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays raised their target price on Southern from $71.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Southern from $99.00 to $97.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $90.14.

Southern Company 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.