Schnieders Capital Management LLC Has $4.15 Million Position in The Southern Company (NYSE:SO)

Schnieders Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) by 6.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 59,219 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 4,170 shares during the period. Southern accounts for 0.9% of Schnieders Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Schnieders Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Southern were worth $4,152,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in SO. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Southern by 3.1% during the third quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,883 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $316,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. Good Life Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Southern by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 19,956 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,399,000 after buying an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Insight Inv LLC raised its stake in Southern by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Insight Inv LLC now owns 10,530 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $738,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Patten & Patten Inc. TN lifted its holdings in Southern by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Patten & Patten Inc. TN now owns 20,736 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,454,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CNB Bank grew its stake in Southern by 23.9% in the fourth quarter. CNB Bank now owns 778 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southern

In other Southern news, CEO Stephen E. Kuczynski sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.94, for a total transaction of $334,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 129,552 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,672,210.88. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, EVP Christopher Cummiskey sold 899 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.06, for a total value of $60,286.94. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 22,502 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,508,984.12. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Stephen E. Kuczynski sold 5,000 shares of Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.94, for a total value of $334,700.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 129,552 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,672,210.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,899 shares of company stock worth $739,587 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Southern Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of Southern stock traded up $0.28 on Tuesday, reaching $73.26. 6,054,387 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,689,873. The company has a market capitalization of $80.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.18, a PEG ratio of 4.51 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The Southern Company has a one year low of $61.56 and a one year high of $75.80. The company has a 50-day moving average of $69.23 and a 200 day moving average of $69.24.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The utilities provider reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.05. Southern had a net margin of 15.79% and a return on equity of 11.40%. The firm had revenue of $6.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.26 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Southern Company will post 4 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Investors of record on Monday, May 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 17th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.93%. This is a boost from Southern’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Southern from $75.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 16th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Southern from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group lowered shares of Southern from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $78.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $76.00 price target (up previously from $72.00) on shares of Southern in a research note on Monday, April 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $74.36.

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.