FY2026 EPS Estimates for Southern Lifted by Erste Group Bank

Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) – Equities research analysts at Erste Group Bank boosted their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Southern in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, August 5th. Erste Group Bank analyst S. Lingnau now expects that the utilities provider will earn $4.58 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $4.57. The consensus estimate for Southern’s current full-year earnings is $4.58 per share.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $6.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.23 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 12.93% and a net margin of 15.43%.Southern’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.79 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on SO. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $104.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Southern from $103.00 to $100.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Southern from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Mizuho set a $106.00 price target on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Southern currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $100.26.

Southern Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of SO stock opened at $91.19 on Tuesday. Southern has a one year low of $83.80 and a one year high of $100.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $94.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $94.23. The stock has a market cap of $104.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.34.

Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 72.90%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Marble Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $4,443,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its position in shares of Southern by 20.5% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 99,386 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $8,667,000 after acquiring an additional 16,878 shares during the last quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Southern during the fourth quarter worth about $2,462,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Southern by 19.6% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 201,137 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $17,539,000 after acquiring an additional 32,933 shares during the period. Finally, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Southern by 121.4% in the fourth quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,767,773 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $154,150,000 after acquiring an additional 969,493 shares during the period. 64.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.