Southern (NYSE:SO) Updates FY 2028 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• Southern issued FY 2028 EPS guidance of $5.25–$5.45, in line with the $5.25 consensus estimate, and updated FY 2026 EPS guidance to $4.50–$4.60.
• Analysts maintain a generally neutral view, with seven Buy, eleven Hold and two Sell ratings; the average price target is $100.21.
• Southern reported quarterly EPS of $1.13, exceeding expectations of $1.01, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.76, representing a 3.2% yield and a 77.35% payout ratio.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on SO. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $104.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Southern from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Southern from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Southern from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, June 20th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $100.21.

Southern Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of Southern stock opened at $96.24 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $94.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $93.94. The stock has a market cap of $108.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.49, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.34. Southern has a 12-month low of $83.80 and a 12-month high of $100.83.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.12. Southern had a net margin of 14.46% and a return on equity of 12.64%. The firm had revenue of $6.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.23 billion. On average, equities analysts forecast that Southern will post 4.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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 $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. Southern's payout ratio is presently 77.35%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southern

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of SO. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Southern by 18.7% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 34,459,462 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,004,866,000 after buying an additional 5,436,212 shares during the period. Soroban Capital Partners LP grew its holdings in Southern by 83.8% during the second quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 4,097,422 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $376,266,000 after acquiring an additional 1,867,912 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Southern during the fourth quarter worth $131,968,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its position in Southern by 1,518.4% in the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,044,101 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $95,880,000 after acquiring an additional 979,587 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its holdings in Southern by 790.6% in the second quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 811,737 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $74,542,000 after acquiring an additional 720,589 shares during the period. 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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