Southern (SO) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Q: What analysts cover Southern?

Southern has been rated by research analysts at Barclays , BMO Capital Markets , Jefferies Financial Group , JPMorgan Chase & Co. , KeyCorp , Mizuho , Morgan Stanley , Truist Financial , and Weiss Ratings in the past 90 days.

$88.90 +0.79 (+0.89%)

As of 01:05 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

$100.09
12.59% Upside

According to the 20 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Southern, the average price target is $100.09. The highest price target for SO is $112.00, while the lowest price target for SO is $79.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 12.59% from the current price of $88.90.

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 9/8/25 to 9/8/26	1 Month Ago 8/9/25 to 8/9/26	3 Months Ago 6/10/25 to 6/10/26	1 Year Ago 9/8/24 to 9/8/25
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)	5 Buy rating(s)
Hold	11 Hold rating(s)	11 Hold rating(s)	12 Hold rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)
Sell	2 Sell rating(s)	2 Sell rating(s)	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target	$100.09	$100.26	$99.38	$94.92
Forecasted Upside	12.59% Upside	8.00% Upside	5.56% Upside	4.41% Upside
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	2.36	2.53
Consensus Rating	Hold	Hold	Moderate Buy
Predicted Upside	13.87% Upside	62.88% Upside	14.03% Upside
News Sentiment Rating	Positive News See Recent SO News	Positive News	Positive News

Recent Analyst Forecasts and Stock Ratings

Rating

Upside/Downside

Action

Time Frame

Start Date

End Date

Show

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Date	Brokerage	Analyst	Action	Rating	Price Target	Report Date Upside/Downside
8/21/2026	Morgan Stanley 3 of 5 stars	Stephen Byrd 5 of 5 stars	Lower Target	Underweight	$92.00 ➝ $89.00	-1.26%
8/13/2026	Truist Financial 3 of 5 stars	Richard Sunderland Not Rated	Lower Target	Hold	$100.00 ➝ $97.00	+4.68%
7/31/2026	Mizuho 3 of 5 stars		Set Target		$106.00	+13.21%
7/29/2026	Weiss Ratings Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Buy (B)
7/27/2026	BMO Capital Markets Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	James Thalacker Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Outperform	$102.00 ➝ $104.00	+6.98%
7/23/2026	KeyCorp Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Sophie Karp Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Downgrade	Sector Weight ➝ Underweight	$79.00	-17.54%
7/16/2026	JPMorgan Chase & Co. Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Jeremy Tonet Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Neutral	$101.00 ➝ $104.00	+8.69%
6/22/2026	Jefferies Financial Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Set Target		$99.00	+5.55%
6/18/2026	Barclays Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Nicholas Campanella Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Equal Weight	$99.00 ➝ $98.00	+5.79%
5/1/2026	Raymond James Financial Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Outperform	$104.00	+7.34%
Get the Latest News and Ratings for SO and Related Stocks Enter your email address below to receive the latest news and analysts' ratings for Southern and its competitors with MarketBeat's FREE daily newsletter.
4/10/2026	Citigroup Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Buy
3/6/2026	TD Cowen Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Shelby Tucker Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Buy	$108.00 ➝ $112.00	+15.24%
3/5/2026	Evercore Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Nicholas Amicucci Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Upgrade	In-Line ➝ Outperform	$111.00	+13.65%
2/20/2026	Scotiabank Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Andrew Weisel Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Sector Perform	$101.00 ➝ $103.00	+8.81%
2/20/2026	Wells Fargo & Company Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Shahriar Pourreza Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Set Target	Underweight ➝ Equal Weight	$84.00 ➝ $96.00	+0.88%
1/23/2026	Royal Bank Of Canada Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Stephen D'Ambrisi Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Reiterated Rating	Sector Perform	$105.00	+20.24%
12/17/2025	UBS Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Daniel Ford Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Neutral	$98.00 ➝ $94.00	+9.82%
11/6/2025	The Goldman Sachs Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Downgrade	Buy ➝ Neutral	$98.00	+7.17%
10/21/2025	BTIG Research Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Initiated Coverage	Neutral
10/17/2025	LADENBURG THALM/SH SH Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Paul Fremont Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Reiterated Rating	Buy ➝ Neutral	$99.50 ➝ $102.50	+4.12%
5/2/2025	Guggenheim Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	S. Pourreza Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	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 Tuesday at 01:05 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 Saturday, September 5, 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 Southern Company recently cleared the Georgia Public Service Commission review for a 25-year agreement to serve an OpenAI data center project, covering approximately 3.2 gigawatts of new demand. This development is significant because the customer pays the full infrastructure and electric-service costs, which can help lower bills for other customers while providing a stable, long-term revenue stream that supports the company's growth without increasing grid risk for existing residential users.
The stock is currently trading at $87.90, which is below the consensus price target of $100.26 and the 50-day moving average of $93.40. This price point offers a potential entry opportunity for investors, as the current valuation is lower than the average analyst expectation, suggesting that the market may be undervaluing the company's recent positive developments and stable earnings performance.
The Southern Company reported a strong second quarter with earnings per share of $1.13, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.12. This beat, combined with a net margin of 15.43% and a return on equity of 12.93%, demonstrates the company's ability to generate consistent profits and efficiently use shareholder capital, which is a key indicator of financial health for utility investors.
With a dividend yield of 3.42% and a recent quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, The Southern Company offers a reliable income stream. The company's payout ratio of 72.90% indicates that it is distributing a significant portion of its earnings to shareholders, which is attractive for income-focused investors seeking steady cash flow in a low-growth sector.
Institutional investors have been increasing their positions in The Southern Company, with several funds such as NEOS Investment Management LLC and Markowski Investments adding to their stakes in the second quarter. This trend of institutional buying, combined with the company's low beta of 0.33, suggests that the stock is a defensive play that can provide stability in a volatile market while benefiting from the growing demand for electricity driven by data centers and AI.

Southern
Bear Case

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

The Southern Company's revenue for the second quarter was $6.98 billion, which missed the analyst estimate of $7.23 billion. This revenue miss, despite the earnings beat, could indicate that the company is facing challenges in growing its top line, which may limit its ability to invest in new infrastructure or increase dividends in the future.
The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, which is relatively high for a utility. This high level of debt could make The Southern Company more vulnerable to rising interest rates, as it would face higher borrowing costs that could squeeze its profit margins and reduce the amount of cash available for shareholder distributions.
KeyCorp recently downgraded The Southern Company from a "sector weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and set a price objective of $79.00, which is below the current stock price of $87.90. This bearish outlook from a major financial institution suggests that there may be significant risks or headwinds that the market is not fully pricing in, such as regulatory challenges or slower-than-expected growth in demand.
The Southern Company's current ratio of 0.79 and quick ratio of 0.59 indicate that it has limited short-term liquidity, meaning it may struggle to cover its immediate liabilities with its most liquid assets. This could be a concern for investors if the company faces unexpected expenses or if credit markets tighten, as it may need to rely on external financing to meet its obligations.
While The Southern Company has a strong dividend, its payout ratio of 72.90% leaves limited room for dividend growth. If the company's earnings growth slows or if it faces higher costs, it may be forced to cut or freeze its dividend, which would be a significant negative for income-focused investors who rely on the stock for steady cash flow.

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 $100.09, with a high forecast of $112.00 and a low forecast of $79.00.

20 Wall Street research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Southern in the last year. 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 12.59% 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 Barclays, BMO Capital Markets, Jefferies Financial Group, 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 2.36. Learn more on how SO compares to other companies.

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Brokerages With Southern Recommendations

MarketBeat monitors more than a dozen sources for Southern analyst ratings, with the most recent rating issued on 8/21/2026.

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Southern (SO) Stock Forecast & Price Target