Trek Financial LLC Increases Holdings in Southern Company (The) $SO

Trek Financial LLC boosted its stake in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 21.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 44,864 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,053 shares during the quarter. Trek Financial LLC’s holdings in Southern were worth $4,252,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Southern by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 21,461 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,034,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Southern by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,443,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC raised its holdings in shares of Southern by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 4,697 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $431,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Southern by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 15,667 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,485,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sara Bay Financial increased its position in shares of Southern by 2.7% in the third quarter. Sara Bay Financial now owns 4,133 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Southern Trading Up 0.0%

SO stock traded up $0.01 during trading on Friday, reaching $87.52. The company had a trading volume of 5,483,868 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,266,833. The business has a 50 day moving average of $87.60 and a 200 day moving average of $91.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The company has a market cap of $96.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.66, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.46. Southern Company has a 52 week low of $82.05 and a 52 week high of $100.83.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.09. Southern had a return on equity of 12.52% and a net margin of 15.42%.The firm had revenue of $7.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.39 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on SO shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research report on Wednesday. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $102.50 target price (up from $99.50) on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Southern from $91.00 to $88.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Southern presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $94.91.

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.