What is KeyCorp’s Estimate for Southern FY2026 Earnings?

Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) – Stock analysts at KeyCorp increased their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Southern in a report issued on Monday, October 12th. KeyCorp analyst S. Karp now forecasts that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $4.60 for the year, up from their prior forecast of $4.58. KeyCorp has an “Underweight” rating and a $74.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Southern’s current full-year earnings is $4.59 per share.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on SO. Mizuho set a $106.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Southern from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $99.00 price target on shares of Southern in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $99.25.

Southern Stock Performance

Shares of SO stock opened at $88.14 on Wednesday. Southern has a one year low of $81.69 and a one year high of $100.83. The company’s 50-day moving average is $87.89 and its 200 day moving average is $92.27. The company has a market capitalization of $101.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.31. 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 (NYSE:SO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $6.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.23 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 12.93% and a net margin of 15.43%. Southern’s quarterly revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.79 EPS.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of Southern during the second quarter worth $737,256,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Southern during the second quarter valued at $264,829,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new stake in Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at $191,120,000. Energy Income Partners LLC bought a new stake in Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at $166,114,000. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new stake in Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at $157,217,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th were given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 17th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.90%.

About Southern

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

Southern’s regulated electric utilities include Alabama Power, Georgia Power and Mississippi Power, which serve residential, commercial and industrial customers across the southeastern United States. The company’s portfolio includes coal, natural gas, nuclear, hydroelectric and renewable generation assets.