Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc Makes New Investment in Southern Company (The) $SO

Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 3,879 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $356,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SO. Ameriflex Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Southern by 275.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Cheviot Value Management LLC purchased a new position in Southern in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new position in Southern in the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Southern in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in Southern in the 1st quarter worth approximately $40,000. 64.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Southern Stock Performance

Shares of Southern stock opened at $96.17 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $93.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $91.59. The company has a market capitalization of $105.79 billion, a PE ratio of 24.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. Southern Company has a 52 week low of $80.46 and a 52 week high of $96.79.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by ($0.08). Southern had a return on equity of 12.09% and a net margin of 15.10%.The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.70 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.10 EPS. Southern’s quarterly revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Southern has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 1.500-1.500 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 4.200-4.300 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th were given a dividend of $0.74 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.09%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on SO shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Southern from $94.00 to $92.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on Southern in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $98.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho upped their price objective on Southern from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Evercore ISI began coverage on Southern in a report on Monday. They set an “in-line” rating and a $103.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Southern from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $95.77.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 13,158 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total transaction of $1,250,010.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 93,661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,897,795. This represents a 12.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.