Southern (NYSE:SO) Updates Q1 2026 Earnings Guidance

Southern (NYSE:SO) issued an update on its first quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 1.200-1.20 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 0.830. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Southern also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 4.500-4.600 EPS.

Southern Stock Up 4.2%

Southern stock traded up $3.86 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $94.90. The stock had a trading volume of 9,218,638 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,173,841. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $88.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $91.31. Southern has a 12 month low of $83.09 and a 12 month high of $100.83. The stock has a market cap of $104.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.45. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.01). Southern had a return on equity of 12.52% and a net margin of 15.42%.The firm had revenue of $6.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.41 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.50 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. Southern has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.200-1.20 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.500-4.600 EPS. Research analysts predict that Southern will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on SO. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Southern in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Southern from $97.00 to $88.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Southern from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $97.00 to $84.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $94.91.

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

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SO. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Southern by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,848 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,556,000 after purchasing an additional 962 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in Southern by 41.7% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 345,270 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,108,000 after purchasing an additional 101,605 shares in the last quarter. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $48,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its stake in shares of Southern by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 249,674 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $21,772,000 after purchasing an additional 6,566 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Global Investments acquired a new stake in shares of Southern during the 4th quarter valued at about $539,000. 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.