Southern (NYSE:SO) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Southern (NYSE:SO) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 4.700-4.700 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 4.590. Southern also updated its FY 2028 guidance to 5.250-5.450 EPS.

Southern Stock Up 0.4%

Southern stock opened at $93.50 on Friday. Southern has a one year low of $81.69 and a one year high of $99.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $107.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $88.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $92.46.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.23. Southern had a return on equity of 12.93% and a net margin of 15.43%. The company had revenue of $8.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.54 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Southern will post 4.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 16th 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%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. Southern’s payout ratio is 72.90%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Tuesday, October 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Southern from $101.00 to $94.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Scotiabank cut their target price on Southern from $103.00 to $93.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. Truist Financial decreased their price target on Southern from $97.00 to $93.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Southern from $85.00 to $84.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $97.24.

Key Headlines Impacting Southern

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Southern’s adjusted third-quarter EPS of $1.94 beat the $1.71 consensus estimate, while revenue of $8.84 billion exceeded expectations of $8.38 billion and rose 13% year over year. The company also reported higher earnings for the quarter than a year earlier. Southern Co. Q3 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: FY 2026 EPS guidance of $4.70 was above the $4.59 consensus estimate. The company’s 2028 guidance range of $5.25–$5.45 also places its midpoint above the $5.25 consensus, supporting the longer-term outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Fourth-quarter 2026 EPS guidance of $0.30 was below analysts’ $0.44 estimate, a near-term forecast shortfall that could offset some of the earnings and longer-term guidance optimism.

Southern Company Profile

Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is an energy holding company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Through its subsidiaries, the company generates, transmits, distributes and sells electricity, while also providing natural gas distribution and related energy services.

Southern’s electric utility operations include Alabama Power, Georgia Power and Mississippi Power, which serve customers across Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. The company’s generation portfolio includes nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric and renewable energy resources.