Southern (NYSE:SO) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Southern (NYSE:SO) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 4.500-4.600 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 4.450. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Southern also updated its Q1 2026 guidance to 1.200-1.20 EPS.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on SO. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Southern from $104.00 to $93.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Southern from $104.00 to $93.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 15th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Southern from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $97.00 to $84.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $94.91.

Southern Stock Performance

Shares of SO traded up $3.86 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $94.90. The stock had a trading volume of 9,218,638 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,173,841. The firm has a market cap of $104.49 billion, a PE ratio of 23.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.45. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $88.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $91.31. Southern has a one year low of $83.09 and a one year high of $100.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $6.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.41 billion. Southern had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 12.52%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.50 earnings per share. Southern has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.200-1.20 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.500-4.600 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Southern will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be paid a $0.74 dividend. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 73.27%.

Trending Headlines about Southern

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company gave upbeat forward guidance — FY2026 EPS of 4.50–4.60 (above Street consensus) and Q1 2026 EPS of 1.20 (well ahead of consensus), signaling stronger near-term earnings visibility. Southern Company reports fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Top-line beat — Q4 revenue of $6.98B came in above analysts’ expectations (~$6.41B), driven by higher sales and rate-related growth, which supports the company’s revenue trajectory. Compared to Estimates, Southern Co. (SO) Q4 Earnings: A Look at Key Metrics
• Neutral Sentiment: Georgia Power (a Southern subsidiary) filed for lower customer costs via fuel and storm cost recovery cases, which could affect regulated revenue timing and rate structures but is part of routine regulatory filings. Georgia Power delivers lower costs for customers with latest filings
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 EPS slightly missed estimates — $0.55 vs. $0.56 consensus — and quarter/year numbers showed declines versus prior-year periods, which tempers the beat on revenue. Southern Co. (SO) Misses Q4 Earnings Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Management raised its five-year spending plan to support large-load customers (e.g., data centers) and Reuters flagged that the company’s annual profit forecast is below some analyst estimates — higher capex and spending can pressure near-term cash flow and leverage. Southern Co forecasts annual profit below estimates, raises spending plan

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ankerstar Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Southern during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Southern in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Southern during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC bought a new position in shares of Southern during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new stake in Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

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.