Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Has $58.48 Million Holdings in Southern Company (The) $SO

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH grew its position in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 617,113 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,595 shares during the period. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH’s holdings in Southern were worth $58,484,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Advantage Trust Co grew its position in Southern by 1,428.6% during the 2nd quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 321 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Southern by 309.5% in the second quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 430 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southern in the second quarter worth $40,000. 64.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Southern Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:SO opened at $87.51 on Tuesday. Southern Company has a 1 year low of $80.46 and a 1 year high of $100.83. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $89.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $92.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.35 billion, a PE ratio of 21.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.45.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $7.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.04 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 12.52% and a net margin of 15.42%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.39 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Southern Company will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th were given a dividend of $0.74 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 17th. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.27%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on SO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Southern from $104.00 to $93.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 15th. BTIG Research assumed coverage on Southern in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Southern in a report on Monday, October 6th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $103.00 price target for the company. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Southern from $98.00 to $94.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on shares of Southern from $98.00 to $91.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $96.21.

Southern 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.