Janiczek Wealth Management LLC Purchases 631 Shares of The Southern Company (NYSE:SO)

Janiczek Wealth Management LLC increased its position in The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) by 20.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,754 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 631 shares during the quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Southern were worth $263,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SO. Rockline Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Southern in the fourth quarter worth $1,945,000. Cullinan Associates Inc. boosted its position in shares of Southern by 200.9% during the third quarter. Cullinan Associates Inc. now owns 76,227 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,933,000 after buying an additional 50,897 shares during the last quarter. Zullo Investment Group Inc. boosted its position in Southern by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Zullo Investment Group Inc. now owns 3,437 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $241,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in Southern by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 14,856 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,045,000 after purchasing an additional 819 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Apella Capital LLC purchased a new position in Southern in the fourth quarter worth about $301,000. Institutional investors own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on SO shares. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Southern from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Southern from $75.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 16th. Barclays reduced their price target on Southern from $68.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $76.00 target price (up from $72.00) on shares of Southern in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $80.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.14.

Insider Activity at Southern

In other Southern news, CEO Stephen E. Kuczynski sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.94, for a total transaction of $334,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 129,552 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,672,210.88. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Southern news, EVP Christopher Cummiskey sold 899 shares of Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.06, for a total value of $60,286.94. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 22,502 shares in the company, valued at $1,508,984.12. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Stephen E. Kuczynski sold 5,000 shares of Southern stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.94, for a total value of $334,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 129,552 shares in the company, valued at $8,672,210.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 20,998 shares of company stock valued at $1,446,113. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Southern Price Performance

NYSE:SO opened at $69.86 on Friday. The Southern Company has a 12-month low of $61.56 and a 12-month high of $75.80. The company’s 50-day moving average is $68.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $68.90. The firm has a market cap of $76.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.36 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The utilities provider reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $6.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.90 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 11.40% and a net margin of 15.79%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.26 EPS. Research analysts expect that The Southern Company will post 4 EPS for the current year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.14%.

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.