Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) Receives $94.91 Consensus PT from Brokerages

Shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the nineteen research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $97.6389.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Southern from $104.00 to $93.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Southern from $91.00 to $88.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $102.00 target price on shares of Southern in a research report on Monday. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Southern from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Thursday, December 11th.

Southern Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of SO stock opened at $95.86 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $105.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.45. Southern has a 12-month low of $83.09 and a 12-month high of $100.83. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $89.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $91.28.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.01). Southern had a net margin of 14.69% and a return on equity of 12.52%. The firm had revenue of $6.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.50 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Southern has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.200-1.20 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.500-4.600 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Southern will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a $0.74 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 75.32%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southern

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC raised its position in Southern by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 21,461 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,034,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Southern by 0.7% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,443,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC grew its stake in shares of Southern by 2.3% during the second quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 4,697 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $431,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Southern by 0.7% during the third quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 15,667 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,485,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sara Bay Financial raised its holdings in shares of Southern by 2.7% in the third quarter. Sara Bay Financial now owns 4,133 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $392,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

About Southern

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.