Southern (NYSE:SO) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

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

Southern Trading Down 1.3%

Southern stock opened at $90.85 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. Southern has a 12 month low of $83.09 and a 12 month high of $100.83. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $88.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $91.31. The stock has a market cap of $100.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.45.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $6.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.41 billion. Southern had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 12.52%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.74 per share. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on SO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Southern from $104.00 to $93.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 15th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Southern in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. Barclays cut their price target 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. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Southern in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Southern currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $94.91.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in shares of Southern by 18.7% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 34,459,462 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,004,866,000 after purchasing an additional 5,436,212 shares during the last quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP lifted its holdings in Southern by 83.8% during the 2nd quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 4,097,422 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $376,266,000 after purchasing an additional 1,867,912 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $131,968,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its holdings in shares of Southern by 1,518.4% during the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,044,101 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $95,880,000 after buying an additional 979,587 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Southern by 790.6% in the second quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 811,737 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $74,542,000 after acquiring an additional 720,589 shares during the period. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.