What is Scotiabank’s Forecast for Southern FY2026 Earnings?

Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) – Equities researchers at Scotiabank raised their FY2026 earnings estimates for Southern in a report released on Wednesday, November 11th. Scotiabank analyst A. Weisel now expects that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $4.71 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $4.58. Scotiabank has a “Sector Perform” rating and a $93.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for Southern’s current full-year earnings is $4.65 per share.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $8.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.38 billion. Southern had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 13.57%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.54 earnings per share.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on SO. KeyCorp lowered their price target on shares of Southern from $79.00 to $74.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. HSBC began coverage on shares of Southern in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $99.50 price objective on the stock. Capital One Financial set a $99.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research report on Monday. Barclays lowered their target price on Southern from $101.00 to $92.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on Southern from $114.00 to $104.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Eight research 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 data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $97.32.

Southern Price Performance

Shares of SO stock opened at $92.32 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $107.49 billion, a PE ratio of 21.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.30. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $88.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $92.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Southern has a twelve month low of $81.69 and a twelve month high of $99.58.

Institutional Trading of Southern

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Evergreen Advisors LLC bought a new position in Southern during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southern in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Bullseye Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southern in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of Southern in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. 64.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Southern

In other news, EVP Sterling Spainhour, Jr. sold 3,333 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.81, for a total transaction of $306,002.73. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,886 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,927,453.66. This represents a 9.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.25%.

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.