Centaurus Financial Inc. Acquires New Stake in Southern Company (The) $SO

Centaurus Financial Inc. bought a new position in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 38,678 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,702,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SO. Evergreen Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southern in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Southern in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Ankerstar Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Southern in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Institutional investors own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Southern Price Performance

Shares of SO opened at $88.94 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $94.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.42. Southern Company has a 1-year low of $83.80 and a 1-year high of $100.83. The company has a market cap of $102.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.33, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.34.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $6.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.23 billion. Southern had a net margin of 15.43% and a return on equity of 12.93%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.79 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Southern Company will post 4.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.90%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $99.00 price target on shares of Southern in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Southern from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Barclays lowered their target price on Southern from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Southern presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $100.09.

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.