Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. Has $893,000 Stake in Southern Company (The) $SO

Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. boosted its holdings in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 2.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,729 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 263 shares during the period. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc.’s holdings in Southern were worth $893,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SO. Ameriflex Group Inc. raised its stake in Southern by 275.0% during the second quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Cheviot Value Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southern in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Advantage Trust Co increased its position in Southern by 1,428.6% during the 2nd quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 321 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new position in Southern in the first quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southern in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on SO shares. Scotiabank reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $99.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Cowen started coverage on shares of Southern in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Barclays set a $70.00 price objective on Southern in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $102.50 price target (up previously from $99.50) on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $99.30.

Southern Stock Performance

Southern stock opened at $95.86 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $94.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.24. 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 Company has a 1-year low of $80.46 and a 1-year high of $100.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $105.45 billion, a PE ratio of 24.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.40 and a beta of 0.43.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by ($0.08). Southern had a net margin of 15.10% and a return on equity of 12.09%. The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.10 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, analysts expect that Southern Company will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 8th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th will be given a $0.74 dividend. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 76.09%.

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.