Southern (NYSE:SO) Announces FY 2028 Earnings Guidance

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on SO. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern in a report on Tuesday, October 27th. HSBC started coverage on shares of Southern in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $99.50 price target on the stock. Mizuho set a $106.00 target price on shares of Southern and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Southern from $97.00 to $93.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Southern presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $97.24.

Southern Stock Performance

Southern stock opened at $92.16 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $106.02 billion, a PE ratio of 20.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.30. Southern has a fifty-two week low of $81.69 and a fifty-two week 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 company has a 50 day moving average price of $88.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $92.48.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $8.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.38 billion. Southern had a net margin of 15.43% and a return on equity of 12.93%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.54 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Southern will post 4.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.25%.

More Southern News

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter adjusted EPS of $1.94 beat the $1.71 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 13% year over year to $8.84 billion, also ahead of expectations. The company’s earnings release reported $1.77 per share on its stated basis, compared with $1.55 a year earlier. Article: Southern Co. Q3 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted surging data-center demand and 21 GW of large-load contracts. Its 2026 EPS guidance of $4.70 is above the $4.59 consensus, and 2028 guidance of $5.25–$5.45 spans from consensus to above it—supporting the longer-term growth outlook. Article: Southern Q3 Earnings Call Highlights Growth and Capital Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: A potential $100 billion capital plan could enable investment to serve rising electricity demand, but its eventual scale and funding needs remain considerations for investors. Article: Southern Q3 Earnings Call Highlights Growth and Capital Upside
• Negative Sentiment: Fourth-quarter 2026 EPS guidance of $0.30 is below analysts’ $0.44 estimate. That near-term shortfall may temper the positive reaction to the quarterly beat and full-year guidance. Article: Southern Company Q3 Earnings Report

Southern Company Profile

Southern Company is an energy holding company based in Atlanta, Georgia. Through its subsidiaries, it generates, transmits and distributes electricity and provides natural gas service, primarily across the southeastern United States.

Its electric utility businesses include Alabama Power, Georgia Power and Mississippi Power, which serve customers in their respective states. Southern Company also owns Southern Power, which develops and operates wholesale power generation assets, and Southern Company Gas, whose businesses distribute natural gas to customers in several states.

Formed in 1945, Southern Company has grown from a regional electric utility holding company into a diversified energy provider.