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Southern (SO) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Southern logo
$94.67 +0.12 (+0.12%)
Closing price 05/22/2026 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$93.88 -0.79 (-0.84%)
As of 05/22/2026 07:59 PM Eastern
Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Massive. Learn more.

Southern - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Sell
1
Hold
12
Buy
7

Based on 20 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Southern in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold." Out of the 20 analysts, 1 has given a sell rating, 12 have given a hold rating, and 7 have given a buy rating for SO.

Consensus Price Target

$99.56
5.17% Upside
According to the 20 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Southern, the average price target is $99.56. The highest price target for SO is $112.00, while the lowest price target for SO is $76.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 5.17% from the current price of $94.67.
MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.
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SO Analyst Ratings Over Time

TypeCurrent Forecast
5/25/25 to 5/25/26
1 Month Ago
4/25/25 to 4/25/26
3 Months Ago
2/24/25 to 2/24/26
1 Year Ago
5/25/24 to 5/25/25
Strong Buy
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
7 Buy rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
Hold
12 Hold rating(s)
13 Hold rating(s)
12 Hold rating(s)
10 Hold rating(s)
Sell
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Sell rating(s)
2 Sell rating(s)
1 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target$99.56$99.08$97.64$92.21
Forecasted Upside5.17% Upside5.95% Upside1.86% Upside2.85% Upside
Consensus RatingHoldHoldHoldHold

SO Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.
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SO Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.
Skip Chart and View Analyst Price Target HistorySkip Chart & View Price History Table

Southern Stock vs. The Competition

TypeSouthernUtilities CompaniesBroader Market
Consensus Rating Score
2.30
2.34
2.52
Consensus RatingHoldHoldModerate Buy
Predicted Upside5.17% Upside43.85% Upside15.09% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Positive News

See Recent SO News
Positive News
Positive News
DateBrokerageAnalystActionRatingPrice TargetReport Date
Upside/Downside
Details
5/21/2026
Morgan Stanley logo
Morgan Stanley
3 of 5 stars
Stephen Byrd
Stephen Byrd
5 of 5 stars
Reiterated RatingUnderweight$87.00-7.54%
5/1/2026 UpgradeBuy (B-)Buy (B)
5/1/2026
Mizuho logo
Mizuho
4 of 5 stars
 Set Target$105.00+8.22%
5/1/2026 Reiterated RatingOutperform$104.00+7.34%
4/21/2026Initiated CoverageHold$103.00+10.13%
4/10/2026 Reiterated RatingBuy
4/10/2026Boost TargetEqual Weight$88.00 ➝ $99.00+1.20%
3/6/2026Boost TargetBuy$108.00 ➝ $112.00+15.24%
3/5/2026UpgradeIn-LineOutperform$111.00+13.65%
3/4/2026UpgradeUnderweightSector Weight
2/23/2026Reiterated RatingHold$102.00+7.25%
2/20/2026Boost TargetSector Perform$101.00 ➝ $103.00+8.81%
2/20/2026 Reiterated RatingOutperform
2/20/2026Set TargetUnderweightEqual Weight$84.00 ➝ $96.00+0.88%
1/23/2026Reiterated RatingSector Perform$105.00+20.24%
12/17/2025Lower TargetNeutral$98.00 ➝ $94.00+9.82%
12/15/2025Lower TargetNeutral$104.00 ➝ $93.00+8.73%
11/6/2025 DowngradeBuyNeutral$98.00+7.17%
10/21/2025 Initiated CoverageNeutral
10/17/2025Reiterated RatingBuyNeutral$99.50 ➝ $102.50+4.12%
5/2/2025Reiterated RatingNeutral$93.00 ➝ $93.00+2.16%
8/29/2024 Boost TargetNeutral$86.00 ➝ $87.00+1.78%
8/2/2024DowngradeOutperformPeer Perform

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Monday at 07:07 PM ET.


Should I Buy Southern Stock? SO Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. Please send any questions or comments about these Southern pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Southern
Bull Case

green Wall Street bull icon

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in The Southern Company:

  • The current stock price is around $93.60, which may present a buying opportunity for investors looking for value in the energy sector.
  • Recent upgrades from multiple analysts, including a target price increase to $112.00, indicate strong market confidence in the company's future performance.
  • The Southern Company has a solid market capitalization of approximately $105.52 billion, suggesting stability and a strong presence in the energy market.
  • With a P/E ratio of 23.82, the company is positioned competitively within the industry, reflecting its earnings potential relative to its stock price.
  • Seven analysts have rated the stock as a Buy, which indicates a favorable outlook and potential for price appreciation.

Southern
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

Investors should be bearish about investing in The Southern Company for these reasons:

  • The company has a relatively high debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, which may raise concerns about financial leverage and the ability to manage debt obligations.
  • Despite positive ratings, the consensus rating remains a "Hold," suggesting that there may not be significant upside potential in the near term.
  • Insider transactions show that key executives have sold shares recently, which could signal a lack of confidence in the company's short-term performance.
  • The stock has experienced fluctuations, with a fifty-two week low of $83.09, indicating potential volatility that could deter risk-averse investors.
  • The current quick ratio of 0.45 suggests that the company may face challenges in meeting short-term liabilities, which could impact liquidity.

SO Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 20 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Southern is $99.56, with a high forecast of $112.00 and a low forecast of $76.00.

20 Wall Street equities research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Southern in the last twelve months. There is currently 1 sell rating, 12 hold ratings and 7 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street equities research analysts is that investors should "hold" SO shares. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in SO, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares.

According to analysts, Southern's stock has a predicted upside of 5.17% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Southern's stock had 3 upgrades by analysts.

Southern has been rated by research analysts at Barclays, Citigroup, Evercore, KeyCorp, Mizuho, Morgan Stanley, Raymond James Financial, TD Cowen, Truist Financial, and Weiss Ratings in the past 90 days.

Analysts like Southern less than other "utilities" companies. The consensus rating score for Southern is 2.30 while the average consensus rating score for "utilities" companies is 2.34. Learn more on how SO compares to other companies.


This page (NYSE:SO) was last updated on 5/25/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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