KeyCorp Brokers Decrease Earnings Estimates for Southern

Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) – Investment analysts at KeyCorp lowered their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Southern in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, July 22nd. KeyCorp analyst S. Karp now anticipates that the utilities provider will earn $1.66 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.71. KeyCorp has a “Underweight” rating and a $79.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for Southern’s current full-year earnings is $4.58 per share. KeyCorp also issued estimates for Southern’s Q4 2026 earnings at $0.60 EPS, FY2028 earnings at $5.35 EPS, FY2029 earnings at $5.75 EPS and FY2030 earnings at $6.17 EPS.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $8.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.07 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 12.64% and a net margin of 14.46%.The business’s revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.23 earnings per share.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $104.00 target price on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Wednesday. Seaport Research Partners lowered shares of Southern from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Southern from $103.00 to $100.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 29th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $100.09.

Southern Price Performance

Southern stock opened at $96.53 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $94.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $93.67. Southern has a 1 year low of $83.80 and a 1 year high of $100.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $108.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.65.

Institutional Trading of Southern

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in Southern by 17.5% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 34,003 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,127,000 after purchasing an additional 5,067 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its position in shares of Southern by 0.7% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 59,217 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,438,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares in the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Southern in the second quarter valued at approximately $655,000. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in shares of Southern by 11.5% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 449,960 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $41,320,000 after purchasing an additional 46,504 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its holdings in shares of Southern by 2.7% in the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 514,736 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $47,268,000 after purchasing an additional 13,392 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 77.35%.

Southern Company Profile

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.