Nepsis Inc. Sells 6,652 Shares of Southern Company (The) $SO

Nepsis Inc. lowered its stake in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 20.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,539 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 6,652 shares during the period. Southern accounts for about 0.8% of Nepsis Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Nepsis Inc.’s holdings in Southern were worth $2,515,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Southern by 0.5% during the third quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 21,461 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,034,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC grew its position in Southern by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 4,697 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $431,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sara Bay Financial raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Southern Stock Down 0.3%

Southern stock opened at $87.00 on Friday. Southern Company has a one year low of $80.50 and a one year high of $100.83. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $88.27 and a 200 day moving average of $91.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.75. The stock has a market cap of $95.80 billion, a PE ratio of 21.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.46.

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

Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th were issued a dividend of $0.74 per share. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 17th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $102.50 price target (up previously from $99.50) on shares of Southern in a report on Friday, October 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Southern from $104.00 to $93.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Southern in a report on Monday, October 6th. They issued an “in-line” rating and a $103.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $97.00 price target on shares of Southern in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $96.21.

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.