49,867 Shares in Southern Company (The) $SO Acquired by iSAM Funds UK Ltd

iSAM Funds UK Ltd purchased a new stake in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 49,867 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,726,000. Southern accounts for about 1.0% of iSAM Funds UK Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 9th largest holding.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SO. Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Southern in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Donaldson Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Southern by 2,785.8% during the third quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 563,027 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $53,358,000 after purchasing an additional 543,517 shares during the period. Matrix Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Southern during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,813,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Southern during the third quarter worth $4,852,000. Finally, Shelton Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Southern by 700.6% during the second quarter. Shelton Capital Management now owns 161,618 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $14,841,000 after purchasing an additional 141,430 shares in the last quarter. 64.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Southern from $98.00 to $94.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Southern from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Mizuho set a $104.00 price objective on shares of Southern and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $96.00 target price on Southern and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $98.08.

Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SO opened at $98.06 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. Southern Company has a fifty-two week low of $83.09 and a fifty-two week high of $100.83. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $91.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $91.59. The company has a market cap of $107.97 billion, a PE ratio of 24.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.44.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.55 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $6.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.41 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.50 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Southern Company will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a dividend of $0.74 per share. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 75.32%.

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.