Southern (NYSE:SO) Releases Q4 2026 Earnings Guidance

Southern (NYSE:SO) updated its fourth quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided EPS guidance of 0.300-0.300 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 0.440. Southern also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 4.700-4.700 EPS.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Mizuho set a $106.00 price target on Southern and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. HSBC initiated coverage on Southern in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $99.50 price target on the stock. KeyCorp lowered their price objective on Southern from $79.00 to $74.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Southern from $103.00 to $101.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Southern from $100.00 to $92.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $97.24.

Southern Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SO opened at $92.16 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $106.02 billion, a PE ratio of 20.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $88.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $92.48. Southern has a 1-year low of $81.69 and a 1-year high of $99.58.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $8.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.38 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 12.93% and a net margin of 15.43%. The firm’s revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.54 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Southern will post 4.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 7th. Investors of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.25%.

More Southern News

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter adjusted EPS of $1.94 beat the $1.71 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 13% year over year to $8.84 billion, also ahead of expectations. The company’s earnings release reported $1.77 per share on its stated basis, compared with $1.55 a year earlier. Article: Southern Co. Q3 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted surging data-center demand and 21 GW of large-load contracts. Its 2026 EPS guidance of $4.70 is above the $4.59 consensus, and 2028 guidance of $5.25–$5.45 spans from consensus to above it—supporting the longer-term growth outlook. Article: Southern Q3 Earnings Call Highlights Growth and Capital Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: A potential $100 billion capital plan could enable investment to serve rising electricity demand, but its eventual scale and funding needs remain considerations for investors. Article: Southern Q3 Earnings Call Highlights Growth and Capital Upside
• Negative Sentiment: Fourth-quarter 2026 EPS guidance of $0.30 is below analysts’ $0.44 estimate. That near-term shortfall may temper the positive reaction to the quarterly beat and full-year guidance. Article: Southern Company Q3 Earnings Report

Southern Company Profile

Southern Company is an energy holding company based in Atlanta, Georgia. Through its subsidiaries, it generates, transmits and distributes electricity and provides natural gas service, primarily across the southeastern United States.

Its electric utility businesses include Alabama Power, Georgia Power and Mississippi Power, which serve customers in their respective states. Southern Company also owns Southern Power, which develops and operates wholesale power generation assets, and Southern Company Gas, whose businesses distribute natural gas to customers in several states.

Formed in 1945, Southern Company has grown from a regional electric utility holding company into a diversified energy provider.