Southern (NYSE:SO) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• FY2026 guidance: Southern issued EPS guidance of $4.50–$4.60 for FY2026 (the midpoint is slightly below the $4.57 consensus) and updated longer‑term FY2028 guidance to $5.25–$5.45.
• Q1 beat and dividend raise: Southern reported Q1 EPS of $1.32 (vs. $1.22 est.) and revenue of $8.40B (up 8% YoY), and increased its quarterly dividend to $0.76 (annualized $3.04, ~3.2% yield).
• Market/insider signals: Analysts collectively have a consensus rating of "Hold" with a $99.08 price target, while insiders including the CEO and an EVP sold shares in recent filings (25,000 and 6,669 shares, respectively).

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided EPS guidance of 4.500-4.600 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 4.570. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Southern also updated its FY 2028 guidance to 5.250-5.450 EPS.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on SO shares. Scotiabank increased their target price on Southern from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Seaport Research Partners lowered Southern from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $96.00 target price on Southern and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Southern presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $99.08.

Southern Price Performance

SO opened at $93.59 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $95.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $92.09. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. Southern has a 1 year low of $83.09 and a 1 year high of $100.83. The stock has a market cap of $105.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.81, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.41.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $8.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.26 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 12.52% and a net margin of 14.69%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.23 EPS. Analysts forecast that Southern will post 4.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. This is a boost from Southern's previous quarterly dividend of $0.74. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. Southern's payout ratio is 75.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Southern news, EVP Christopher Cummiskey sold 6,669 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.55, for a total value of $643,891.95. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,800 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,973,740. The trade was a 17.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $10,015,205.34. This trade represents a 19.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Southern News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations: Southern reported adjusted Q1 EPS of $1.32 (GAAP $1.21) and revenue of $8.40B, topping consensus; management cited higher power demand as a driver. This beat and the demand pickup are supportive for earnings and cash flow. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Company press release confirms the beat: Southern reported $1.4B GAAP net income and $1.5B excluding certain items (adjusted $1.32/share), reinforcing the Reuters/market beat. Strong net margin (~14.7%) and ROE support fundamentals. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst lift / favorable coverage: Erste Group nudged FY2026 EPS estimates slightly higher (to $4.57) and Wells Fargo recently raised its price target, signaling incremental analyst support for the stock’s valuation and outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer-term guidance in line: Southern provided FY2028 EPS guidance of $5.25–$5.45, which brackets the consensus and suggests management expects multi‑year earnings growth consistent with expectations.
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector note — utilities ETF context: Broader commentary on the Utilities Select Sector ETF (XLU) is available for investors considering sector exposure, but it’s not company-specific. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: FY2026 guidance slightly conservative vs. consensus: Southern updated FY2026 EPS guidance to $4.50–$4.60 versus the $4.57 consensus — the midpoint is a touch below some estimates, which can temper near‑term upside expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: Q2 guide misses by a hair: Q2 EPS guidance was set at $1.00, below the ~$1.02 consensus. While small, this miss could prompt short‑term caution among traders focused on quarterly beats.
• Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary: Recent writeups highlight Southern’s strong profitability among renewable/utility peers and incremental analyst target raises, supporting investor interest in the name. Article Title

Institutional Trading of Southern

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in SO. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of Southern by 17.5% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 34,003 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,127,000 after acquiring an additional 5,067 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its position in Southern by 0.7% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 59,217 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,438,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in Southern during the second quarter valued at approximately $655,000. Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in Southern by 11.5% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 449,960 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $41,320,000 after purchasing an additional 46,504 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its position in shares of Southern by 2.7% in the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 514,736 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $47,268,000 after purchasing an additional 13,392 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 64.10% of the company's stock.

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.

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