Southern Company (NYSE: SO) has a higher price-to-earnings ratio of 18.87x compared to its average ratio. SO has 36-month beta value of 0.50. Analysts have mixed views on the stock, with 4 analysts rating it as a “buy,” 1 as “overweight,” 8 as “hold,” and 2 as “sell.”
The public float for SO is 1.09B, and currently, short sellers hold a 1.47% ratio of that float. The average trading volume of SO on April 16, 2024 was 4.73M shares.
SO) stock’s latest price update
Southern Company (NYSE: SO)’s stock price has plunge by -0.49relation to previous closing price of 68.73. Nevertheless, the company has seen a -2.38% plunge in its stock price over the last five trading sessions. Seeking Alpha reported 2024-04-02 that 12 expected dividend increases in April 2024. Dividend growth is crucial for reaching financial freedom and combating high inflation.
SO’s Market Performance
SO’s stock has fallen by -2.38% in the past week, with a monthly drop of -1.43% and a quarterly drop of -4.24%. The volatility ratio for the week is 1.74% while the volatility levels for the last 30 days are 1.48% for Southern Company The simple moving average for the past 20 days is -2.48% for SO’s stock, with a -1.03% simple moving average for the past 200 days.
Analysts’ Opinion of SO
BMO Capital Markets, on the other hand, stated in their research note that they expect to see SO reach a price target of $77, previously predicting the price at $72. The rating they have provided for SO stocks is “Outperform” according to the report published on January 11th, 2024.
Citigroup gave a rating of “Buy” to SO, setting the target price at $82 in the report published on December 08th of the previous year.
SO Trading at -0.56% from the 50-Day Moving Average
After a stumble in the market that brought SO to its low price for the period of the last 52 weeks, the company was unable to rebound, for now settling with -9.78% of loss for the given period.
Volatility was left at 1.48%, however, over the last 30 days, the volatility rate increased by 1.74%, as shares sank -1.01% for the moving average over the last 20 days. Over the last 50 days, in opposition, the stock is trading -2.99% lower at present.
During the last 5 trading sessions, SO fell by -2.38%, which changed the moving average for the period of 200-days by -2.12% in comparison to the 20-day moving average, which settled at $70.09. In addition, Southern Company saw -2.47% in overturn over a single year, with a tendency to cut further losses.
Insider Trading
Reports are indicating that there were more than several insider trading activities at SO starting from Kuczynski Stephen E, who sale 5,000 shares at the price of $68.92 back on Mar 11 ’24. After this action, Kuczynski Stephen E now owns 126,528 shares of Southern Company, valued at $344,600 using the latest closing price.
Cummiskey Christopher, the EVP & CCCS Officer of Southern Company, sale 902 shares at $65.99 during a trade that took place back on Feb 16 ’24, which means that Cummiskey Christopher is holding 22,502 shares at $59,523 based on the most recent closing price.
Stock Fundamentals for SO
Current profitability levels for the company are sitting at:
- 0.23 for the present operating margin
- 0.46 for the gross margin
The net margin for Southern Company stands at 0.16. The total capital return value is set at 0.05. Equity return is now at value 12.86, with 2.90 for asset returns.
Based on Southern Company (SO), the company’s capital structure generated 0.67 points at debt to capital in total, while cash flow to debt ratio is standing at 0.12. The debt to equity ratio resting at 2.02. The interest coverage ratio of the stock is 2.38.
Currently, EBITDA for the company is 11.51 billion with net debt to EBITDA at 5.47. When we switch over and look at the enterprise to sales, we see a ratio of 5.44. The receivables turnover for the company is 6.37for trailing twelve months and the total asset turnover is 0.18. The liquidity ratio also appears to be rather interesting for investors as it stands at 0.77.
Conclusion
To put it simply, Southern Company (SO) has had a bad performance in recent times. Analysts have a mixed opinion on the stock, with some rating it as a “buy” and others as a “hold”. It’s important to note that the stock is currently trading at a significant distance from its 50-day moving average and its 52-week high.
