Capital International Inc. CA Purchases 174,642 Shares of Southern Company (The) $SO

Capital International Inc. CA increased its holdings in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 57.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 481,188 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 174,642 shares during the period. Capital International Inc. CA’s holdings in Southern were worth $45,602,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of SO. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Southern in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new stake in Southern during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC raised its position in Southern by 120.1% during the third quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 361 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Southern in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Southern Stock Performance

SO opened at $97.24 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $91.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $91.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $107.07 billion, a PE ratio of 24.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.44. Southern Company has a 12-month low of $83.09 and a 12-month high of $100.83.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.01). Southern had a return on equity of 12.52% and a net margin of 14.69%.The company had revenue of $6.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.50 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Southern Company will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a $0.74 dividend. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. Southern’s payout ratio is presently 75.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Southern in a report on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group cut 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. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating on shares of Southern in a report on Friday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $96.00 target price on shares of Southern and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $98.08.

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.