WJ Financial Advisors LLC Buys New Shares in Southern Company (The) $SO

WJ Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 17,308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,640,000. Southern comprises 1.6% of WJ Financial Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SO. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Southern in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Advantage Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Southern by 1,428.6% in the second quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 321 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Southern during the third quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Southern by 120.1% during the third quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 361 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Southern from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $97.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Southern in a report on Friday, January 23rd. BTIG Research began coverage on Southern in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut Southern from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $98.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Southern currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $94.91.

Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SO opened at $94.93 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $87.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $91.38. Southern Company has a 1 year low of $83.09 and a 1 year high of $100.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $104.53 billion, a PE ratio of 23.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.45.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.74 per share. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.27%.

About Southern

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.