Southern (NYSE:SO) Announces Q4 2026 Earnings Guidance

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on SO shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Southern from $85.00 to $84.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. DA Davidson set a $98.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Mizuho set a $106.00 target price on shares of Southern and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Southern from $103.00 to $101.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Southern from $101.00 to $94.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $97.24.

Southern Stock Up 0.4%

SO opened at $93.50 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $88.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $92.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.79. Southern has a twelve month low of $81.69 and a twelve month high of $99.58. The firm has a market cap of $107.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.42, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.30.

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

Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Southern’s payout ratio is 72.90%.

Southern News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Southern’s adjusted third-quarter EPS of $1.94 beat the $1.71 consensus estimate, while revenue of $8.84 billion exceeded expectations of $8.38 billion and rose 13% year over year. The company also reported higher earnings for the quarter than a year earlier. Southern Co. Q3 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: FY 2026 EPS guidance of $4.70 was above the $4.59 consensus estimate. The company’s 2028 guidance range of $5.25–$5.45 also places its midpoint above the $5.25 consensus, supporting the longer-term outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Fourth-quarter 2026 EPS guidance of $0.30 was below analysts’ $0.44 estimate, a near-term forecast shortfall that could offset some of the earnings and longer-term guidance optimism.

Southern Company Profile

Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is an energy holding company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Through its subsidiaries, the company generates, transmits, distributes and sells electricity, while also providing natural gas distribution and related energy services.

Southern’s electric utility operations include Alabama Power, Georgia Power and Mississippi Power, which serve customers across Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. The company’s generation portfolio includes nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric and renewable energy resources.