Southern (NYSE:SO) Updates FY 2028 Earnings Guidance

Southern (NYSE:SO) issued an update on its FY 2028 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 5.250-5.450 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 5.250. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Southern also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 4.500-4.600 EPS.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on SO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Southern from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating on shares of Southern in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Southern from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Southern from $103.00 to $100.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 29th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Southern presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $100.26.

Southern Stock Performance

SO opened at $94.79 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $106.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.73, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a fifty day moving average of $94.59 and a 200 day moving average of $94.00. Southern has a fifty-two week low of $83.80 and a fifty-two week high of $100.83.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.12. Southern had a return on equity of 12.93% and a net margin of 15.43%.The business had revenue of $6.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.23 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.79 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Southern will post 4.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 72.90%.

Key Headlines Impacting Southern

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter earnings beat expectations: Southern reported adjusted EPS of $1.13, above the $1.01 analyst consensus and up from $0.91 a year earlier. The company’s reported earnings were $1.2 billion, or $1.03 per share, compared with $0.9 billion, or $0.80 per share, in the prior-year quarter. Southern Co. Beats Q2 Earnings Estimates Southern Company Reports Second-Quarter 2026 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Capacity expansion is positioning the utility for load growth: Georgia Power is developing nearly 1,500 megawatts of new natural-gas generation and 500 megawatts of battery storage at Plant Bowen. The projects could support reliability and future demand from industrial customers and data centers, although they also require substantial capital investment. Georgia Power and Officials Celebrate Plant Bowen Investments
• Positive Sentiment: Energy-storage and AI demand provide longer-term catalysts: Georgia Power completed the Moody Battery Energy Storage System, expanding Southern’s regulated storage platform. Analysts also point to large-load contracts and a reported 25-year OpenAI power agreement as potential drivers of future utility demand. Southern Completes Moody Battery Project Southern Company AI Data Center Opportunity
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue growth remained weak: Quarterly revenue was $6.98 billion, below the $7.23 billion consensus and up only 0.1% year over year, tempering the significance of the EPS beat. Southern Q2 Key Metrics Versus Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term guidance was slightly cautious: Third-quarter EPS guidance of $1.65 was below the $1.67 consensus, while the $4.50–$4.60 full-year 2026 range brackets but centers below the $4.57 estimate. The 2028 range of $5.25–$5.45, however, is at least in line with current expectations.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ankerstar Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of Southern in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Southern in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC bought a new position in shares of Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. bought a new position in shares of Southern during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors 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.