Southern (NYSE:SO) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.11 EPS

Southern (NYSE:SO) released its earnings results on Wednesday. The utilities provider reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.11, FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $8.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.26 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 12.52% and a net margin of 14.69%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.23 earnings per share.

Southern Trading Up 3.4%

NYSE:SO traded up $3.15 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $96.66. The stock had a trading volume of 8,303,497 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,665,124. Southern has a one year low of $83.09 and a one year high of $100.83. The company has a market capitalization of $109.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.59, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $95.86 and a 200 day moving average of $92.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69.

Southern Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 8th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. This is an increase from Southern’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.74. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. Southern’s payout ratio is currently 75.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on SO. Evercore raised Southern from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $111.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Mizuho set a $104.00 target price on Southern and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Southern has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $99.08.

More Southern News

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations — Southern reported adjusted EPS of $1.32 (vs. Zacks consensus $1.21) and revenue of $8.40B (vs. $8.26B consensus); revenue rose ~8% year-over-year, supporting profit strength and the recent stock uptick. Southern Co. (SO) Q1 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Higher power demand boosted results — Reuters notes the beat was helped by rising power demand, a positive signal for near-term commodity-driven revenues and utility margins. Southern Co beats first-quarter profit estimates as power demand soars
• Positive Sentiment: Company release and materials available — Southern’s PR release and slide deck provide management detail on results and drivers (useful for confirming one-offs and adjusted EPS reconciliation). Southern Company reports first-quarter 2026 earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Fresh analyst support — Wells Fargo recently bumped its price target to $99 and Erste Group nudged FY2026 EPS estimates higher, lending modest analyst confidence to the name. Why Southern Company (SO) May Be Quietly Gaining Strength
• Neutral Sentiment: FY2026 guidance roughly in line — Southern updated FY2026 EPS guidance to $4.50–$4.60 vs. consensus ~$4.57, implying performance in line with expectations and limiting large directional surprises.
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer-term outlook steady — FY2028 EPS guidance of $5.25–$5.45 aligns with street expectations, keeping the longer-term trajectory intact.
• Neutral Sentiment: Deep-dive metric coverage available — Zacks published a metrics comparison for Q1 that investors can use to check segment drivers and one-offs. Compared to Estimates, Southern Co. (SO) Q1 Earnings: A Look at Key Metrics
• Negative Sentiment: Q2 guidance slightly below street — Southern set Q2 EPS guidance at $1.00 vs. a consensus near $1.02, a small miss that could temper short-term sentiment.
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive note — A Zacks comparison favors Vistra over Southern, citing Vistra’s nuclear push and cheaper valuation; this frames relative valuation/risk questions for investors comparing utility ideas. Vistra or Southern Co.: Which Utility Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Southern news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.67, for a total transaction of $2,416,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 103,602 shares in the company, valued at $10,015,205.34. This represents a 19.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher Cummiskey sold 6,669 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.55, for a total value of $643,891.95. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 30,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,973,740. This represents a 17.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Southern

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SO. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in shares of Southern by 18.7% during the 4th 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 shares of Southern by 83.8% during the 2nd quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 4,097,422 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $376,266,000 after purchasing an additional 1,867,912 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern during 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 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,044,101 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $95,880,000 after purchasing an additional 979,587 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Southern by 790.6% during the 2nd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 811,737 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $74,542,000 after purchasing an additional 720,589 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Southern Company Profile

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.