Southern (SO) Stock Forecast & Price Target

$89.34 +1.24 (+1.40%)

Closing price 03:59 PM Eastern

Extended Trading

$89.53 +0.19 (+0.21%)

As of 06:00 PM Eastern

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

Consensus Rating

Hold

Based on 20 Analyst Ratings

Sell
2

Hold
11

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, 2 have given a sell rating, 11 have given a hold rating, and 7 have given a buy rating for SO.

Consensus Price Target

$99.25
11.09% Upside

According to the 20 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Southern, the average price target is $99.25. The highest price target for SO is $112.00, while the lowest price target for SO is $74.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 11.09% from the current price of $89.35.

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

Type	Current Forecast 10/14/25 to 10/14/26	1 Month Ago 9/14/25 to 9/14/26	3 Months Ago 7/16/25 to 7/16/26	1 Year Ago 10/14/24 to 10/14/25
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)	7 Buy rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)
Hold	11 Hold rating(s)	11 Hold rating(s)	12 Hold rating(s)	9 Hold rating(s)
Sell	2 Sell rating(s)	2 Sell rating(s)	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target	$99.25	$100.09	$99.91	$96.85
Forecasted Upside	11.09% Upside	15.17% Upside	4.13% Upside	-2.96% Downside
Consensus Rating	Hold	Hold	Hold	Hold

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.

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.

Southern Stock vs. The Competition

Type	Southern	Utilities Companies	Broader Market
Consensus Rating Score	2.25	2.42	2.53
Consensus Rating	Hold	Hold	Moderate Buy
Predicted Upside	11.09% Upside	68.86% Upside	19.51% Upside
News Sentiment Rating	Neutral News See Recent SO News	Positive News	Positive News

Recent Analyst Forecasts and Stock Ratings

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Rating

Upside/Downside

Action

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Date	Brokerage	Analyst	Action	Rating	Price Target	Report Date Upside/Downside
10/13/2026	JPMorgan Chase & Co. 3 of 5 stars	Jeremy Tonet 4 of 5 stars	Lower Target	Neutral	$101.00 ➝ $94.00	+6.46%
10/13/2026	KeyCorp 2 of 5 stars	Sophie Karp 4 of 5 stars	Lower Target	Underweight	$79.00 ➝ $74.00	-14.96%
9/25/2026	Citigroup 4 of 5 stars	Ryan Levine 1 of 5 stars	Lower Target	Buy	$114.00 ➝ $104.00	+25.49%
9/18/2026	Morgan Stanley Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Stephen Byrd Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Lower Target	Underweight	$89.00 ➝ $85.00	-0.77%
8/13/2026	Truist Financial Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Richard Sunderland Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Lower Target	Hold	$100.00 ➝ $97.00	+4.68%
7/31/2026	Mizuho Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings		Set Target		$106.00	+13.21%
7/29/2026	Weiss Ratings Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings		Reiterated Rating	Buy (B)
7/27/2026	BMO Capital Markets Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	James Thalacker Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Boost Target	Outperform	$102.00 ➝ $104.00	+6.98%
6/22/2026	Jefferies Financial Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings		Set Target		$99.00	+5.55%
6/18/2026	Barclays Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Nicholas Campanella Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Lower Target	Equal Weight	$99.00 ➝ $98.00	+5.79%
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5/1/2026	Raymond James Financial Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings		Reiterated Rating	Outperform	$104.00	+7.34%
3/6/2026	TD Cowen Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Shelby Tucker Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Boost Target	Buy	$108.00 ➝ $112.00	+15.24%
3/5/2026	Evercore Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Nicholas Amicucci Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Upgrade	In-Line ➝ Outperform	$111.00	+13.65%
2/20/2026	Scotiabank Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Andrew Weisel Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Boost Target	Sector Perform	$101.00 ➝ $103.00	+8.81%
2/20/2026	Wells Fargo & Company Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Shahriar Pourreza Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Set Target	Underweight ➝ Equal Weight	$84.00 ➝ $96.00	+0.88%
1/23/2026	Royal Bank Of Canada Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Stephen D'Ambrisi Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Reiterated Rating	Sector Perform	$105.00	+20.24%
12/17/2025	UBS Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Daniel Ford Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Lower Target	Neutral	$98.00 ➝ $94.00	+9.82%
11/6/2025	The Goldman Sachs Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings		Downgrade	Buy ➝ Neutral	$98.00	+7.17%
10/21/2025	BTIG Research Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings		Initiated Coverage	Neutral
10/17/2025	LADENBURG THALM/SH SH Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Paul Fremont Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Reiterated Rating	Buy ➝ Neutral	$99.50 ➝ $102.50	+4.12%
5/2/2025	Guggenheim Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	S. Pourreza Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Reiterated Rating	Neutral	$93.00 ➝ $93.00	+2.16%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Wednesday at 06:01 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 Monday, October 12, 2026. Please send any questions or comments about these Southern pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Southern
Bull Case

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

The stock is currently trading at $87.02, which is significantly below the average analyst price target of $100.08, suggesting potential for substantial upside if the market re-evaluates the company's value relative to its peers.
The company offers a high dividend yield of 3.53%, providing a reliable income stream for investors, supported by a consistent payout ratio and a history of maintaining dividends even during market volatility.
Recent developments show The Southern Company leveraging advanced storm intelligence technologies, including AI, to restore power to approximately 420,000 customers after Hurricane Isaias, demonstrating operational resilience and technological investment in grid reliability.
The company has secured 17 gigawatts of contracted load, largely driven by data center agreements, which provides long-term revenue visibility and growth potential in a sector with increasing energy demand.
With a low beta of 0.31, the stock exhibits lower volatility compared to the broader market, making it a defensive holding that can help stabilize a portfolio during periods of economic uncertainty or market downturns.

Southern
Bear Case

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

The stock recently hit a 52-week low of $81.69, indicating significant downward pressure and potential concerns about the company's near-term performance or market sentiment towards the utility sector.
Analyst consensus remains at "Hold" with a split of 11 hold ratings, 7 buy ratings, and 2 sell ratings, reflecting a lack of strong conviction among research firms that the stock is undervalued or poised for significant growth.
The company faces a high debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, which may limit its financial flexibility and increase interest expense burdens, particularly if interest rates remain elevated or rise further.
Recent earnings showed revenue of $6.98 billion for the quarter, which missed analyst estimates of $7.23 billion, suggesting potential challenges in meeting growth expectations despite beating EPS targets.
Insider selling activity, such as the CEO selling 25,000 shares in March 2026, may signal a lack of confidence from company leadership in the current stock price or future performance.

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 $99.25, with a high forecast of $112.00 and a low forecast of $74.00.

20 Wall Street research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Southern in the last twelve months. There are currently 2 sell ratings, 11 hold ratings and 7 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street 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 11.09% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Southern's stock had 1 downgrade by analysts.

Southern has been rated by research analysts at BMO Capital Markets, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase & Co., KeyCorp, Mizuho, Morgan Stanley, 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 2.25 while the average consensus rating score for "utilities" companies is 2.42. Learn more on how SO compares to other companies.

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MarketBeat monitors more than a dozen sources for Southern analyst ratings, with the most recent rating issued on 10/13/2026.

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Southern (SO) Stock Forecast & Price Target

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

Consensus Rating

Consensus Price Target

SO Analyst Ratings Over Time

SO Analyst Recommendations By Month

SO Price Targets by Month

Southern Stock vs. The Competition

Recent Analyst Forecasts and Stock Ratings

Should I Buy Southern Stock? SO Pros and Cons Explained

Southern
Bull Case

Southern
Bear Case

SO Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

Stock Forecasts and Research Tools

Today's Analyst Ratings

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Brokerages With Southern Recommendations

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Southern (SO) Stock Forecast & Price Target

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

Consensus Rating

Consensus Price Target

SO Analyst Ratings Over Time

SO Analyst Recommendations By Month

SO Price Targets by Month

Southern Stock vs. The Competition

Recent Analyst Forecasts and Stock Ratings

Should I Buy Southern Stock? SO Pros and Cons Explained

Southern Bull Case

Southern Bear Case

SO Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

What is Southern's forecast for 2026?

Should I buy or sell Southern stock right now?

Does Southern's stock price have much upside?

Has Southern been downgraded by Wall Street analysts recently?

What analysts cover Southern?

Do Wall Street analysts like Southern more than its competitors?

Stock Forecasts and Research Tools

Today's Analyst Ratings

Top-Rated Stocks

More Ratings Tools

Brokerages With Southern Recommendations

MarketBeat All Access Features

Best-in-Class Portfolio Monitoring

Stock Ideas and Recommendations

Advanced Stock Screeners and Research Tools

Southern
Bull Case

Southern
Bear Case