Southern (NYSE:SO) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• Southern issued FY 2026 EPS guidance of $4.50–$4.60, broadly in line with the $4.57 analyst consensus, and provided FY 2028 EPS guidance of $5.25–$5.45.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus rating of “Hold” from 20 analysts and an average price target of $100.21; recent firms lowered targets or downgraded the stock.
• Southern declared a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, or $3.04 annualized, representing a 3.2% yield and a 77.35% payout ratio.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 4.500-4.600 for the period, compared to the consensus 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

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays dropped their price objective on Southern from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 18th. KeyCorp cut Southern from a "sector weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and set a $79.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Southern from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Southern from $103.00 to $100.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $100.21.

Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SO opened at $96.24 on Thursday. Southern has a one year low of $83.80 and a one year high of $100.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $108.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.49, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $94.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $93.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.65.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $8.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.07 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 12.64% and a net margin of 14.46%.The business's revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Southern will post 4.58 EPS for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. Southern's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.35%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southern

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ankerstar Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in Southern during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in Southern in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new stake in Southern in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new stake in Southern in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 64.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Southern

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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