Southern Co. Ranks 230th in Volume as Hedge Funds Double Down on Energy Giant

On August 13, 2025, The Southern Company (SO) traded with a volume of $0.52 billion, marking a 30.18% decline from the previous day’s activity and ranking 230th in trading volume across the stock market. Recent developments include institutional investors increasing stakes in the utility giant, with Arrowpoint Investment Partners boosting holdings by 192.6% in Q1 and Vanguard Group raising its position by 1.4%. Analyst activity has been mixed, with upgrades from Jefferies Financial Group and Mizuho alongside downgrades from KeyCorp, reflecting divergent views on the stock’s trajectory.

SO announced a quarterly dividend of $0.74 per share, yielding 3.1% annually, while its Q2 earnings of $0.91 per share fell short of estimates despite revenue growth to $6.97 billion. Institutional ownership remains strong at 64%, with insider transactions including a notable 12.32% reduction in CEO Kimberly Greene’s holdings. Regulatory approvals, such as Georgia Power’s 2025 Integrated Resource Plan, underscore SO’s strategic focus on meeting rising energy demands, particularly in the AI and data center sectors.

A backtested trading strategy involving purchasing the top 500 stocks by daily trading volume and holding them for one day from 2022 to 2025 yielded a 4.17% return. This suggests that high-liquidity stocks, including SO, can benefit from short-term momentum in volatile markets, though performance aligns with broader market trends over the period.