Southern (NYSE:SO) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Southern (NYSE:SO) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Scotiabank cut their target price on Southern from $103.00 to $93.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. Mizuho set a $106.00 price target on Southern and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Southern in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. DA Davidson set a $98.00 price objective on Southern in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on Southern from $101.00 to $92.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $97.24.

Southern Stock Performance

Shares of Southern stock opened at $92.16 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The company has a market cap of $107.30 billion, a PE ratio of 20.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a 50 day moving average of $88.16 and a 200-day moving average of $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. Southern had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 13.57%. The business had revenue of $8.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.38 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.54 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Southern will post 4.70 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Southern

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SO. First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc. increased its holdings in Southern by 39.9% during the third quarter. First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 130,614 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $10,827,000 after buying an additional 37,247 shares during the last quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp lifted its position in shares of Southern by 29.2% during the first quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 50,628 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,887,000 after acquiring an additional 11,448 shares in the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in Southern by 19.1% during the 1st quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 92,289 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $8,908,000 after purchasing an additional 14,798 shares in the last quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Southern in the second quarter worth about $1,908,000. Finally, BIP Wealth LLC bought a new position in Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at $3,059,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

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

About Southern

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.