The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) Stock Holdings Decreased by RFP Financial Group LLC

RFP Financial Group LLC decreased its position in The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) by 50.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 18,341 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 18,345 shares during the period. RFP Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Southern were worth $1,510,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Southern by 15.3% in the 4th quarter. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 20,671 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,702,000 after purchasing an additional 2,747 shares during the period. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. raised its stake in shares of Southern by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. now owns 222,149 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $18,287,000 after purchasing an additional 602 shares in the last quarter. Investment Advisory Services Inc. TX ADV increased its holdings in Southern by 7.9% in the fourth quarter. Investment Advisory Services Inc. TX ADV now owns 3,208 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $264,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP raised its position in Southern by 388.7% during the fourth quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 36,549 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,009,000 after acquiring an additional 29,070 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Southern by 25.6% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 28,936 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,382,000 after acquiring an additional 5,894 shares in the last quarter. 64.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southern Stock Up 0.9 %

NYSE SO opened at $84.53 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $83.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $86.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market cap of $92.62 billion, a PE ratio of 19.66, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.53. The Southern Company has a twelve month low of $65.80 and a twelve month high of $94.45.

Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.41%. Southern’s payout ratio is 66.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Martin Bernard Davis sold 1,170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.90, for a total value of $100,503.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 88,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,592,958.70. The trade was a 1.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on SO. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Southern from $71.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Mizuho upped their price target on Southern from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Southern from $96.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Southern from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim cut shares of Southern from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Southern currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $89.79.

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.