CCM Investment Advisers LLC Lowers Holdings in Southern Company (The) $SO

CCM Investment Advisers LLC trimmed its position in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 8.4% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 149,674 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 13,733 shares during the quarter. CCM Investment Advisers LLC’s holdings in Southern were worth $14,447,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Evergreen Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Southern during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Southern during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Ankerstar Wealth LLC bought a new position in Southern in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new position in Southern in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Southern Price Performance

SO opened at $94.24 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $106.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.98, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.34. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $94.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $93.99. Southern Company has a 12-month low of $83.80 and a 12-month high of $100.83.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $6.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.23 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 12.64% and a net margin of 14.46%.Southern’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.79 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Southern Company will post 4.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.35%.

Key Southern News

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Southern reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.13 per share, exceeding the $1.01 analyst consensus and rising from $0.91 a year earlier. The company also reported $1.2 billion in quarterly earnings, or $1.03 per reported share, versus $0.9 billion, or $0.80 per share, in the prior-year period. Southern Co. Beats Q2 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Southern’s six-month earnings increased to $2.5 billion, or $2.24 per share, from $2.2 billion, or $2.01 per share, a sign of year-to-date profit growth. Southern Company Reports Second-Quarter 2026 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Georgia Power completed the Moody Battery Energy Storage System, supporting solar integration and grid reliability. Southern is also expanding storage capacity across Georgia, which could strengthen its regulated-utility growth profile. Southern Completes Moody Battery Project
• Positive Sentiment: Investors continue to view Southern as a potential AI and data-center electricity-demand beneficiary, supported by large-load contracts and a reported 25-year power agreement with OpenAI. Southern Company AI Data Center Opportunity
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter revenue of $6.98 billion fell short of the $7.23 billion consensus and was essentially flat year over year, tempering the earnings beat. Southern Quarterly Earnings Report
• Negative Sentiment: Management’s 2026 EPS guidance of $4.50-$4.60 brackets a $4.57 consensus estimate, while third-quarter guidance of $1.65 is below the $1.67 forecast. This modestly cautious outlook likely contributed to the stock’s weakness despite the quarterly beat.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on SO. Wall Street Zen upgraded Southern from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Southern from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $99.00 target price on shares of Southern in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $104.00 price target on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $100.21.

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.