Weiss Asset Management LP Sells 201,393 Shares of Southern Company (The) $SO

Weiss Asset Management LP decreased its stake in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 60.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 131,300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 201,393 shares during the period. Weiss Asset Management LP’s holdings in Southern were worth $12,673,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of SO. Evergreen Advisors LLC bought a new position in Southern during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southern in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Ankerstar Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southern in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Southern in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Institutional investors own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SO opened at $97.29 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $109.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.34. The company’s 50-day moving average is $94.44 and its 200 day moving average is $93.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.65. Southern Company has a fifty-two week low of $83.80 and a fifty-two week high of $100.83.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $8.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.07 billion. Southern had a net margin of 14.46% and a return on equity of 12.64%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Southern Company will post 4.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.35%.

Trending Headlines about Southern

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Southern’s Georgia Power subsidiary signed a long-term power agreement with OpenAI, which could support future electricity demand and reinforce the company’s role in powering AI data center growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced it is joining President Trump’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge, highlighting a customer-first approach focused on rate stability, grid reliability, and responsible growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts remain constructive on near-term earnings, with Zacks saying Southern may have the right setup to beat upcoming results. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: KeyCorp raised its Q4 2026 EPS estimate to $0.60 from $0.55, but kept an Underweight rating and a $79 price target, so the update is mixed despite the higher forecast. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: KeyCorp also trimmed estimates for Southern’s Q3 2026, FY2028, FY2029, and FY2030 earnings, which may weigh on sentiment even though the changes were modest. Article Title

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Southern from $105.00 to $102.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Seaport Research Partners lowered shares of Southern from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $104.00 target price on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their target price on Southern from $103.00 to $100.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 29th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Southern presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $100.09.

About Southern

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.