Southern (NYSE:SO) Announces FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Southern (NYSE:SO) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 4.700-4.700 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 4.590. Southern also updated its FY 2028 guidance to 5.250-5.450 EPS.

Southern Price Performance

NYSE:SO traded up $0.38 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $93.50. 15,838,178 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,927,267. Southern has a 52 week low of $81.69 and a 52 week high of $99.58. The firm has a market cap of $107.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $88.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $92.44.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $8.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.38 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 12.93% and a net margin of 15.43%. Southern’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.54 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Southern will post 4.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.90%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on SO. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reduced their price objective on Southern from $96.50 to $85.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Scotiabank lowered their target price on Southern from $103.00 to $93.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Southern from $85.00 to $84.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Southern from $101.00 to $98.00 in a research note on Monday, October 26th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price objective on Southern from $97.00 to $93.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $97.24.

Southern News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter EPS of $1.94 topped the $1.71 consensus, while revenue of $8.84 billion exceeded the $8.38 billion estimate and rose 13% year over year. Separately, Southern reported GAAP earnings per share of $1.77, up from $1.55 a year earlier. Southern Co. Q3 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates Southern Company reports third-quarter 2026 earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Full-year 2026 EPS guidance of $4.70 is above the $4.59 consensus, signaling a stronger annual outlook.
• Positive Sentiment: 2028 EPS guidance of $5.25–$5.45 matches consensus at the low end and exceeds it at the midpoint, suggesting potential for longer-term earnings growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Fourth-quarter EPS guidance of $0.30 is below the $0.44 consensus, a near-term shortfall that could temper the positive reaction to the quarterly beat.

About Southern

Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is an energy holding company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Through its subsidiaries, the company generates, transmits, distributes and sells electricity, while also providing natural gas distribution and related energy services.

Southern’s electric utility operations include Alabama Power, Georgia Power and Mississippi Power, which serve customers across Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. The company’s generation portfolio includes nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric and renewable energy resources.