<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Securian Asset Management Inc. cut its holdings in  Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) by 43.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,941 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 23,184 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Southern were worth $2,611,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.</p><ul><li>Sony's $4 Billion Bet on Rock &amp; Roll Royalties</li></ul><p>A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SO. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in  Southern in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000.  Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in  Southern in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000.  Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in  Southern in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000.  Migdal Insurance &amp; Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new stake in  Southern in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000.  Finally, Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID acquired a new stake in  Southern in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. </p><h2>Insiders Place Their Bets</h2><p>In related news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.67, for a total transaction of $2,416,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 103,602 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,015,205.34. The trade was a 19.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher Cummiskey sold 6,669 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.55, for a total transaction of $643,891.95. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 30,800 shares in the company, valued at $2,973,740. This trade represents a 17.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own  0.16% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Analyst Ratings Changes</h2><ul><li>Sonoco Stock Drops as Inflation Hits Q1 Results</li></ul><p>A number of research firms have issued reports on SO. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Southern from $88.00 to $99.00 and gave the company an &#34;equal weight&#34; rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Southern from $94.00 to $92.00 and set an &#34;underweight&#34; rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Southern from a &#34;buy (b-)&#34; rating to a &#34;buy (b)&#34; rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets  reissued an &#34;outperform&#34; rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Mizuho  set a $105.00 price target on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one  has issued  a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of &#34;Hold&#34; and an average target price of $99.85.</p><p><b>Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on SO</b></p><h2>Southern Trading Up 1.4%</h2><ul><li>Nintendo Stock Falls 20%—But the Rebound Case Is Growing</li></ul><p>NYSE:SO opened at $93.10 on Tuesday. Southern Company has a 12 month low of $83.09 and a 12 month high of $100.83. The firm has a market cap of $104.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. The company's 50 day moving average is $95.67 and its 200-day moving average is $91.86. </p><p>Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.11. Southern had a net margin of 14.46% and a return on equity of 12.64%. The business had revenue of $8.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.23 earnings per share. Southern's revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year.  Equities analysts anticipate that  Southern Company will post 4.57 EPS for the current year. </p><h2>Southern Increases Dividend</h2><p>The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 8th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. This is an increase from Southern's previous quarterly dividend of $0.74. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. Southern's payout ratio is presently 75.32%. </p><h2>About Southern</h2> (Free Report)<p>Southern Company <span>NYSE: SO<span></span></span> 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.  </p><p>Southern's principal regulated electric subsidiaries include Georgia Power, Alabama Power and Mississippi Power, which serve large portions of the southeastern United States.</p><h2>See Also</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Southern</li><li>Before the Moon Base Gets Built, These 4 Companies Win</li><li>Industrial Buybacks: Top Homebuilding Supplier Leads Buyback Increases</li><li>3 Stocks That Win If Inflation Surprises to the Downside</li><li>MercadoLibre Boldly Invests in Growth: Discount Deepens</li></ul><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPVNP?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPVNP"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Southern Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Southern, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Southern wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Southern currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

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<p>Securian Asset Management Inc. reduced its stake in Southern Company (NYSE:SO) by 43.6% in Q4, holding 29,941 shares valued at $2.61 million. Other institutional investors also adjusted their positions. CEO Kimberly S. Greene and EVP Christopher Cummiskey sold shares, decreasing their ownership. Analysts have mixed ratings on Southern, with an average target price of $99.85. The stock opened at $93.10, with a 12-month range of $83.09 to $100.83. Southern reported Q1 earnings of $1.32 per share, exceeding estimates, with revenue of $8.40 billion, up 8% year-over-year.</p>

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Southern Pref Shares SOJF 6.5 Perp 03/15/85

Southern Pref Shares SOMN 7.1250 12/15/2028

Southern Co Pref Share SOJD 4.95 01/30/80 2020

Southern Pref Share SOJE 4.2 10/15/60 C

Southern Co Pref Share SOJC 5.25 12/01/77

MORGAN STANLEY DEP SHS EA REP 1/1000 SHS NON CUM PFD O

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MORGAN STANLEY DEP SHS REPS 1/1000 7.125% PFD E

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MORGAN STANLEY 4.875 DEP SHS REP 1/1000 NCUM PFD SR L

MORGAN STANLEY 6.5%DEP SHS REPSTG 1/1000 NON CUM SER P

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Securian Asset Management Inc. Has $2.61 Million Position in Southern Company (The) $SO