IFM Investors Pty Ltd Reduces Stock Position in Southern Company (The) $SO

IFM Investors Pty Ltd cut its stake in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 22.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 241,383 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 68,980 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd’s holdings in Southern were worth $22,195,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Investors Research Corp grew its position in Southern by 400.0% in the first quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 270 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. Cheviot Value Management LLC purchased a new position in Southern in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new position in Southern in the first quarter worth approximately $33,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Southern in the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Rossby Financial LCC purchased a new position in Southern in the first quarter worth approximately $39,000. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on SO. Wall Street Zen lowered Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Southern from $98.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Mizuho raised their price target on Southern from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, KeyCorp lowered Southern from a “sector weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $78.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Southern presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $94.92.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 value of $1,250,010.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 93,661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,897,795. This trade represents a 12.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Southern Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE:SO opened at $91.25 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $100.38 billion, a PE ratio of 23.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $93.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $91.07. Southern Company has a 12-month low of $80.46 and a 12-month high of $96.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last announced 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 business had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.70 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.10 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. Southern has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 1.500-1.500 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 4.200-4.300 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were paid a $0.74 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.09%.

Southern Company 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.