What is KeyCorp's Forecast for Southern FY2026 Earnings?

Key Points

• KeyCorp raised its FY2026 EPS forecast for Southern to $4.60 from $4.58, slightly above the $4.59 consensus estimate. The firm maintains an “Underweight” rating and a $74 price target.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed, with Southern carrying a consensus “Hold” rating from 20 analysts and an average price target of $99.25.
• Southern recently reported quarterly EPS of $1.13, exceeding expectations, and pays an annualized dividend of $3.04 per share, yielding about 3.4%.

Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO - Free Report) - Stock analysts at KeyCorp boosted their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Southern in a note issued to investors on Monday, October 12th. KeyCorp analyst S. Karp now anticipates that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $4.60 for the year, up from their prior estimate of $4.58. KeyCorp has an "Underweight" rating and a $74.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for Southern's current full-year earnings is $4.59 per share.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group set a $99.00 target price on shares of Southern in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Southern from $114.00 to $104.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 25th. Mizuho set a $106.00 price target on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Southern from $101.00 to $94.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Southern from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Seven equities 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $99.25.

Southern Stock Performance

Shares of SO stock opened at $88.14 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $87.89 and a 200-day moving average of $92.27. The company has a market cap of $101.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. Southern has a 52 week low of $81.69 and a 52 week high of $100.83.

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

Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th were given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.90%.

Institutional Trading of Southern

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp raised its holdings in Southern by 29.2% in the first quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 50,628 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,887,000 after purchasing an additional 11,448 shares in the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA lifted its position in Southern by 19.1% during the first quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 92,289 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $8,908,000 after buying an additional 14,798 shares during the period. Mystic Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Southern during the second quarter valued at $1,908,000. BIP Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at $3,059,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Southern by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 8,380,592 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $808,895,000 after buying an additional 392,210 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.10% of the company's stock.

Southern Company Profile

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

Southern's regulated electric utilities include Alabama Power, Georgia Power and Mississippi Power, which serve residential, commercial and industrial customers across the southeastern United States. The company's portfolio includes coal, natural gas, nuclear, hydroelectric and renewable generation assets.

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