Southern (NYSE:SO) Updates Q3 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• Southern guided for third-quarter 2026 EPS of $1.65, slightly below the $1.67 analyst consensus, and set full-year 2026 EPS guidance at $4.50–$4.60.
• The utility’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $1.32 versus $1.21 expected and revenue of $8.40 billion, up 8% year over year.
• Southern declared a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, or $3.04 annualized, representing a 3.2% yield; analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with a $100.21 average price target.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) updated its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 1.650-1.650 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 1.670. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Southern also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 4.500-4.600 EPS.

Southern Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of Southern stock opened at $96.24 on Thursday. Southern has a 52-week low of $83.80 and a 52-week high of $100.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $108.49 billion, a PE ratio of 24.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The company's fifty day moving average price is $94.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $93.94.

Southern (NYSE:SO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.11. Southern had a net margin of 14.46% and a return on equity of 12.64%. The business had revenue of $8.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.23 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. Southern's dividend payout ratio is currently 77.35%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Southern from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Southern from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Southern in a report on Friday, April 10th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Southern from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Southern currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $100.21.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in shares of Southern by 18.7% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Southern by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,889,152 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $600,734,000 after buying an additional 78,571 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC grew its holdings in Southern by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 4,573,702 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $398,827,000 after acquiring an additional 95,503 shares during the last quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP grew its holdings in Southern by 83.8% during the 2nd 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 last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its position in Southern by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,095,082 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $269,891,000 after acquiring an additional 190,385 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company's stock.

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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