The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) Stock Position Increased by Constitution Capital LLC

Constitution Capital LLC grew its position in The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) by 13.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,220 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,350 shares during the period. Constitution Capital LLC’s holdings in Southern were worth $924,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in SO. OneAscent Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southern during the third quarter valued at about $576,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Southern by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 108,361 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,772,000 after buying an additional 5,589 shares in the last quarter. Financial Enhancement Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southern in the 4th quarter worth approximately $326,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Southern by 94.4% in the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 288,679 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,033,000 after acquiring an additional 140,151 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank increased its stake in shares of Southern by 0.5% during the third quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 3,245,500 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $292,679,000 after acquiring an additional 15,300 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Southern Price Performance

SO opened at $83.86 on Friday. The Southern Company has a 12-month low of $65.80 and a 12-month high of $94.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $91.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.50, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.52. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $84.86 and a 200-day moving average of $86.16.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $7.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.14 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 12.78% and a net margin of 17.87%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.42 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that The Southern Company will post 4.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays upped their target price on Southern from $71.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. UBS Group raised their target price on Southern from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Southern from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Southern from $93.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Southern in a report on Friday, September 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $94.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Southern currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $90.14.

Insider Activity at Southern

In other news, EVP Martin Bernard Davis sold 1,170 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.90, for a total transaction of $100,503.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 88,393 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,592,958.70. This trade represents a 1.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.