Orographic Financial Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 8,727 Southern Company (The) $SO

Orographic Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 8,727 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $842,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in SO. Evergreen Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Southern during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southern in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Ankerstar Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southern in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Southern during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Southern News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Southern reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.13 per share, exceeding the $1.01 analyst consensus and rising from $0.91 a year earlier. The company also reported $1.2 billion in quarterly earnings, or $1.03 per reported share, versus $0.9 billion, or $0.80 per share, in the prior-year period. Southern Co. Beats Q2 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Southern’s six-month earnings increased to $2.5 billion, or $2.24 per share, from $2.2 billion, or $2.01 per share, a sign of year-to-date profit growth. Southern Company Reports Second-Quarter 2026 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Georgia Power completed the Moody Battery Energy Storage System, supporting solar integration and grid reliability. Southern is also expanding storage capacity across Georgia, which could strengthen its regulated-utility growth profile. Southern Completes Moody Battery Project
• Positive Sentiment: Investors continue to view Southern as a potential AI and data-center electricity-demand beneficiary, supported by large-load contracts and a reported 25-year power agreement with OpenAI. Southern Company AI Data Center Opportunity
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter revenue of $6.98 billion fell short of the $7.23 billion consensus and was essentially flat year over year, tempering the earnings beat. Southern Quarterly Earnings Report
• Negative Sentiment: Management’s 2026 EPS guidance of $4.50-$4.60 brackets a $4.57 consensus estimate, while third-quarter guidance of $1.65 is below the $1.67 forecast. This modestly cautious outlook likely contributed to the stock’s weakness despite the quarterly beat.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Southern from $103.00 to $100.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Southern from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Southern from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $104.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $100.21.

Southern Stock Performance

Shares of SO opened at $94.24 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.65. The company has a market capitalization of $106.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.98, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.34. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $94.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $93.99. Southern Company has a 1 year low of $83.80 and a 1 year high of $100.83.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $6.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.23 billion. Southern had a net margin of 14.46% and a return on equity of 12.64%. Southern’s revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.79 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Southern Company will post 4.58 EPS for the current year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.35%.

Southern Company 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.