Southern (NYSE:SO) Announces Q4 2026 Earnings Guidance

Southern (NYSE:SO) issued an update on its fourth quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 0.300-0.300 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 0.440. Southern also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 4.700-4.700 EPS.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on SO. HSBC started coverage on shares of Southern in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $99.50 target price on the stock. DA Davidson set a $98.00 price target on shares of Southern in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Southern from $85.00 to $84.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their target price on Southern from $97.00 to $93.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $97.24.

Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SO traded up $0.38 on Thursday, hitting $93.50. The stock had a trading volume of 15,867,626 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,927,408. Southern has a twelve month low of $81.69 and a twelve month high of $99.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.79. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $88.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $92.44. The company has a market capitalization of $107.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.30.

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

Southern Announces Dividend

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

Key Stories Impacting Southern

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.