Southern (NYSE:SO) PT Raised to $91.00 at UBS Group

Southern (NYSE:SO) had its target price hoisted by analysts at UBS Group from $90.00 to $91.00 in a report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. UBS Group’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 2.60% from the company’s current price.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Southern from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Southern from $77.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Southern from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Mizuho lowered shares of Southern from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $90.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Monday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Southern from $83.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Southern has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $86.33.

Southern Stock Performance

Shares of SO stock traded down $0.17 during trading on Friday, reaching $88.69. 2,273,230 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,432,380. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.98 billion, a PE ratio of 23.09, a PEG ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $86.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $78.65. Southern has a twelve month low of $61.56 and a twelve month high of $90.34.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $6.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.10 billion. Southern had a net margin of 17.67% and a return on equity of 12.88%. The business’s revenue was up 12.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.79 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Southern will post 4.01 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Bryan D. Anderson sold 6,565 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.54, for a total value of $587,830.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,981,575.18. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Sterling A. Jr. Spainhour sold 2,380 shares of Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.99, for a total transaction of $211,796.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 12,500 shares in the company, valued at $1,112,375. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Bryan D. Anderson sold 6,565 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.54, for a total transaction of $587,830.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,981,575.18. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 27,845 shares of company stock valued at $2,266,455 in the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southern

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Gilbert & Cook Inc. grew its stake in Southern by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 11,202 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $785,000 after purchasing an additional 462 shares in the last quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southern in the fourth quarter worth about $233,000. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Southern during the fourth quarter worth approximately $219,000. SCP Investment LP purchased a new position in shares of Southern during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $548,000. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. grew its position in shares of Southern by 15.9% in the fourth quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 36,499 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,559,000 after purchasing an additional 5,018 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Southern Company Profile

The Southern Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. The company also develops, constructs, acquires, owns, and manages power generation assets, including renewable energy projects and sells electricity in the wholesale market; and distributes natural gas in Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee, as well as provides gas marketing services, gas distribution operations, and gas pipeline investments operations.