Southern (SO) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is one of the largest energy providers in the United States, serving more than nine million gas and electric utility customers across the Southeast. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the company was formed in 1945 through the merger of several regional utilities and has since grown through strategic acquisitions and organic expansion. Southern operates an integrated network of generation, transmission and distribution systems, delivering reliable power to customers in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi and other adjacent states.

The company’s core business activities encompass electric utility service, natural gas distribution and power generation. Its regulated electric utilities—Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Mississippi Power and the former Gulf Power—maintain a diversified generation mix that includes nuclear, coal, natural gas and renewable energy sources. Through its competitive subsidiary, Southern Power, the company develops and operates wholesale energy projects, including solar, wind and energy storage facilities. Southern Company Gas, another affiliate, provides natural gas infrastructure and local distribution services, supporting residential, commercial and industrial customers across multiple states.

Over the decades, Southern Company has invested heavily in grid modernization and clean energy technologies. The company’s nuclear fleet, which includes facilities in Georgia and Alabama, represents a cornerstone of its low-carbon strategy, while ongoing solar and battery storage projects underscore its commitment to sustainability. Southern Company also engages in research and development, partnering with universities and national laboratories to advance grid resilience and decarbonization efforts.

Leadership at Southern Company has emphasized a balanced approach to growth, reliability and environmental stewardship. In 2023, Kimberly S. Greene succeeded long-time CEO Thomas A. Fanning, becoming the first female chief executive in the company’s history. Under her guidance, Southern Company continues to navigate regulatory environments, pursue infrastructure investment and support community initiatives, reinforcing its role as a key energy provider in the Southeastern United States.

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Key Stats

• Today's Range: $90.43 to $91.94
• 50-Day Range: $85.16 to $92.11
• 52-Week Range: $0.74 to $94.45
• Volume: 4.92 million shs
• Average Volume: 4.63 million shs
• Market Capitalization: $101.03 billion
• P/E Ratio: 21.94
• Dividend Yield: 3.22%
• Price Target: $92.93
• Consensus Rating: Hold

Southern Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

Southern scored higher than 82% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 30th out of 99 stocks in the utilities sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.

Analyst's Opinion

• Score: 2.1 / 5
• Analyst Rating: Hold

Consensus Rating

Southern has received a consensus rating of Hold. The company's average rating score is 2.25, and is based on 5 buy ratings, 10 hold ratings, and 1 sell rating.

Amount of Analyst Coverage

Southern has been the subject of 9 research reports in the past 90 days, demonstrating strong analyst interest in this stock.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 1.3 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: 6.99%

Earnings Growth

Earnings for Southern are expected to grow by 6.99% in the coming year, from $4.29 to $4.59 per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of Southern is 21.94, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 24.27.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of Southern is 21.94, which means that it is trading at a more expensive P/E ratio than the Utilities sector average P/E ratio of about 20.11.

Price to Earnings Growth Ratio

Southern has a PEG Ratio of 3.25. PEG Ratios above 1 indicate that a company could be overvalued.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

Southern has a P/B Ratio of 2.75. P/B Ratios below 3 indicates that a company is reasonably valued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

Short Interest

• Score: 2.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Bearish

Percentage of Shares Shorted

1.94% of the float of Southern has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Southern has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 4.1.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Southern has recently increased by 3.31%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing.

Dividend

• Score: 4.2 / 5
• Dividend Strength: Strong

Dividend Yield

Southern pays a meaningful dividend of 3.26%, higher than the bottom 25% of all stocks that pay dividends.

Dividend Growth

Southern has been increasing its dividend for 25 years.

Dividend Coverage

The dividend payout ratio of Southern is 70.64%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%.

Dividend Sustainability

Based on earnings estimates, Southern will have a dividend payout ratio of 64.49% next year. This indicates that Southern will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.

Sustainability and ESG

• Score: 1.8 / 5
• Environmental Score: -5.96

Percentage of Shares Shorted

1.94% of the float of Southern has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Southern has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 4.1.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Southern has recently increased by 3.31%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing.

News and Social Media

• Score: 3.6 / 5
• News Sentiment: 1.50

News Sentiment

Southern has a news sentiment score of 1.50. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a higher news sentiment than the 0.74 average news sentiment score of Utilities companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 31 news articles for Southern this week, compared to 20 articles on an average week.

Search Interest

31 people have searched for SO on MarketBeat in the last 30 days. This is an increase of 7% compared to the previous 30 days.

MarketBeat Follows

Only 8 people have added Southern to their MarketBeat watchlist in the last 30 days. This is a decrease of -33% compared to the previous 30 days.

Company Ownership

• Score: 1.7 / 5
• Insider Trading: N/A

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, Southern insiders have not sold or bought any company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

Only 0.16% of the stock of Southern is held by insiders.

Percentage Held by Institutions

64.10% of the stock of Southern is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.

SO Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

How have SO shares performed this year?

Southern's stock was trading at $82.32 on January 1st, 2025. Since then, SO shares have increased by 11.7% and is now trading at $91.92.
View the best growth stocks for 2025 here.

How were Southern's earnings last quarter?

Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) posted its earnings results on Thursday, May, 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.03. Southern's revenue for the quarter was up 17.0% compared to the same quarter last year.
Read the conference call transcript.

Does Southern have any subsidiaries?

The following companies are subsidiaries of Southern: Mankato Energy Center LLC, PowerSecure International Inc, AGL Resources, Adobe Solar LLC, Alabama Power, Alabama Power Capital Trust V, Alabama Property Company, and more.

How do I buy shares of Southern?

Shares of SO stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.

What other stocks do shareholders of Southern own?

Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some other companies that Southern investors own include Chevron (CVX), Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY), Comcast (CMCSA), Charles Schwab (SCHW), McKesson (MCK), Edwards Lifesciences (EW) and Yum! Brands (YUM).

Company Calendar

• Last Earnings: 5/01/2025
• Record date for 6/6 Dividend: 5/19/2025
• Dividend Payable: 6/06/2025
• Today: 6/30/2025
• Next Earnings (Estimated): 7/31/2025
• Fiscal Year End: 12/31/2025

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NYSE
• Sector: Utilities
• Industry: UTIL - ELEC PWR
• Sub-Industry: Electric Utilities
• Current Symbol: NYSE:SO
• CIK: 92122
• Web: www.southerncompany.com
• Phone: (404) 506-5000
• Fax: 404-506-0344
• Employees: 27,700
• Year Founded: 1945

Price Target and Rating

• Average Stock Price Target: $92.93
• High Stock Price Target: $100.00
• Low Stock Price Target: $78.00
• Potential Upside/Downside: +1.6%
• Consensus Rating: Hold
• Rating Score (0-4): 2.25
• Research Coverage: 16 Analysts

Profitability

• EPS (Most Recent Fiscal Year): $4.19
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 21.83
• Forward P/E Ratio: 21.32
• P/E Growth: 3.25
• Net Income: $4.40 billion
• Net Margins: 16.54%
• Pretax Margin: 19.69%
• Return on Equity: 12.70%
• Return on Assets: 3.22%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: 1.69
• Current Ratio: 0.86
• Quick Ratio: 0.65

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $26.72 billion
• Price / Sales: 3.76
• Cash Flow: $8.92 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 10.26
• Book Value: $33.47 per share
• Price / Book: 2.73

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 1,099,060,000
• Free Float: 1,097,297,000
• Market Cap: $100.54 billion
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 0.38