Southern (NYSE:SO) Issues Q3 2026 Earnings Guidance

Southern (NYSE:SO) issued an update on its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 1.650-1.650 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 1.670. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Southern also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 4.500-4.600 EPS.

Southern Price Performance

SO stock traded up $0.41 during trading on Friday, hitting $94.75. 2,075,250 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,721,258. Southern has a 52 week low of $83.80 and a 52 week high of $100.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.65. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $94.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $93.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $106.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.34.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.12. Southern had a net margin of 14.46% and a return on equity of 12.64%. The business had revenue of $6.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.23 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.79 EPS. The business’s revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Southern will post 4.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 77.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on SO. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Southern from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Mizuho set a $106.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday. Seaport Research Partners cut shares of Southern from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Southern has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $100.26.

Southern News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter earnings beat estimates. Southern reported adjusted earnings of $1.13 per share, above the $1.01 analyst consensus and up from $0.91 a year earlier. The company’s reported net income increased to $1.2 billion, or $1.03 per share, from $0.9 billion, or $0.80 per share, in the prior-year quarter. Southern Co. Beats Q2 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: AI and data-center demand offer a long-term growth catalyst. Southern is benefiting from large-load contracts, including a reported 25-year power agreement with OpenAI. Rising electricity demand could support regulated rate-base investment and future earnings growth. Southern Company AI Data Center Opportunity
• Positive Sentiment: Georgia Power is expanding generation and storage capacity. Planned investments at Plant Bowen include nearly 1,500 megawatts of new natural-gas generation and 500 megawatts of battery storage. The projects are intended to meet Georgia’s growing power needs and could expand Southern’s regulated asset base over time. Georgia Power Plant Bowen Investment
• Positive Sentiment: Battery-storage execution reinforces grid-investment momentum. Georgia Power completed the Moody Battery Energy Storage System, adding capacity to support solar deployment and grid reliability. Southern Completes Moody Battery Project
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue fell short of expectations. Quarterly revenue was $6.98 billion versus the $7.23 billion consensus and increased only 0.1% year over year, tempering the impact of the EPS beat.
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term guidance was slightly cautious. Fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $4.50–$4.60 brackets the $4.57 consensus, while third-quarter guidance of $1.65 is below the $1.67 estimate. Fiscal 2028 guidance of $5.25–$5.45 begins at consensus, offering longer-term support but limited immediate upside.

Institutional Trading of Southern

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SO. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of Southern by 17.5% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 34,003 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,127,000 after acquiring an additional 5,067 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Southern by 0.7% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 59,217 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,438,000 after buying an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new position in Southern in the 2nd quarter worth $655,000. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Southern by 11.5% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 449,960 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $41,320,000 after purchasing an additional 46,504 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its holdings in shares of Southern by 2.7% in the 2nd 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 acquiring an additional 13,392 shares during the last quarter. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.