Southern Company (The) $SO Shares Sold by Pinnacle Wealth Management Group Inc.

Pinnacle Wealth Management Group Inc. cut its stake in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,184 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 240 shares during the period. Pinnacle Wealth Management Group Inc.’s holdings in Southern were worth $476,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. lifted its position in Southern by 275.0% during the 2nd 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 purchased a new stake in Southern during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Advantage Trust Co increased its holdings in Southern by 1,428.6% during the 2nd quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 321 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Southern during the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Southern during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. 64.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SO opened at $95.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $105.45 billion, a PE ratio of 24.64, a P/E/G ratio of 3.40 and a beta of 0.43. Southern Company has a 1-year low of $80.46 and a 1-year high of $100.83. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $94.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $92.24.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last posted its 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). The company had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.70 billion. Southern had a net margin of 15.10% and a return on equity of 12.09%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.10 earnings per share. Southern has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 1.500-1.500 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 4.200-4.300 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Southern Company will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be paid a $0.74 dividend. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on SO. Scotiabank restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $99.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Barclays set a $70.00 price objective on Southern in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Morgan Stanley restated an “outperform” rating and set a $99.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a report on Wednesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Southern currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $99.30.

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.