FY2026 EPS Estimates for Southern Raised by Erste Group Bank

Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) – Erste Group Bank boosted their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for Southern in a research note issued on Thursday, August 27th. Erste Group Bank analyst S. Lingnau now expects that the utilities provider will post earnings of $4.60 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $4.58. The consensus estimate for Southern’s current full-year earnings is $4.59 per share.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.12. Southern had a return on equity of 12.93% and a net margin of 15.43%.The firm had revenue of $6.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.79 earnings per share. Southern’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% on a year-over-year basis.

Several other analysts also recently commented on SO. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Southern from $92.00 to $89.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 21st. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Southern from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $99.00 price target on shares of Southern in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, KeyCorp lowered Southern from a “sector weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $79.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $100.09.

Southern Stock Performance

SO opened at $88.12 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. Southern has a 12-month low of $83.80 and a 12-month high of $100.83. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $94.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $94.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $101.37 billion, a PE ratio of 21.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.34.

Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. Southern’s payout ratio is 72.90%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Evergreen Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Southern in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Ankerstar Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Southern during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southern Company Profile

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.