Analysts Set Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) Target Price at $100.26

Shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have issued a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $100.0882.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group set a $99.00 price objective on Southern in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Seaport Research Partners downgraded shares of Southern from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Southern from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th.

Southern Stock Performance

SO stock opened at $92.83 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $106.79 billion, a PE ratio of 22.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.34. Southern has a 12-month low of $83.80 and a 12-month high of $100.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $94.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.35.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $6.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.23 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 12.93% and a net margin of 15.43%.The company’s revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.79 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Southern will post 4.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 72.90%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southern

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SO. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,270,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of Southern in the 2nd quarter worth $7,135,000. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec purchased a new position in shares of Southern in the 2nd quarter worth $2,043,000. Odyssean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southern in the second quarter worth $3,027,000. Finally, Western Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southern in the second quarter worth $826,000. Institutional investors own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

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.