Edgar Lomax Co. VA Cuts Stock Position in Southern Company (The) $SO

Edgar Lomax Co. VA trimmed its holdings in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 22.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 246,205 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 72,450 shares during the period. Southern accounts for about 1.8% of Edgar Lomax Co. VA’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Edgar Lomax Co. VA’s holdings in Southern were worth $23,333,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southern during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new position in Southern during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Southern by 120.1% in the 3rd quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 361 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in Southern in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southern Price Performance

SO opened at $97.19 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $107.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.73, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a 50-day moving average of $90.60 and a 200-day moving average of $91.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.65. Southern Company has a 1-year low of $83.09 and a 1-year high of $100.83.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.01). Southern had a return on equity of 12.52% and a net margin of 14.69%.The firm had revenue of $6.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.50 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Southern Company will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $0.74 per share. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 75.32%.

Trending Headlines about Southern

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore upgraded Southern to “Outperform” and set a $111 price target (roughly mid-teens upside from current levels), which is a clear near-term positive catalyst for the stock as it signals higher conviction from a sell-side shop. Street Insider
• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp raised its EPS projections across multiple years (FY2026 to FY2028 and FY2030), and published quarterly/annual forecasts (e.g., Q1 2026 $1.23, FY2026 $4.58, FY2027 $4.93, FY2028 $5.36, FY2030 $6.18). The upward revisions to multi-year earnings expectations support a constructive long-term outlook for earnings growth. MarketBeat
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite raising EPS forecasts, KeyCorp kept a “Sector Weight” rating on SO, signalling the firm hasn’t shifted to a more bullish stance; that limits the immediate impact of the forecast upgrades on buy-side demand. MarketBeat
• Neutral Sentiment: Mississippi Power (a Southern unit) named Fredie Carmichael VP of Customer Solutions & Corporate Communications — a routine leadership move with limited near-term market impact but relevant for regional customer engagement and communications. PR Newswire

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $102.00 target price on shares of Southern in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Southern from $98.00 to $94.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. KeyCorp upgraded Southern from an “underweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $98.08.

Southern Profile

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.