Southern (NYSE:SO) Rating Increased to Outperform at Evercore

Southern (NYSE:SO) was upgraded by research analysts at Evercore from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm presently has a $111.00 price objective on the utilities provider’s stock. Evercore’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 15.19% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Barclays decreased their price target on Southern from $91.00 to $88.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Southern from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, KeyCorp upgraded Southern from an “underweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Southern currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $98.08.

Southern Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of NYSE SO traded down $1.27 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $96.36. 797,584 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,269,309. The company’s 50-day moving average is $90.40 and its 200-day moving average is $91.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $106.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.52, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.44. Southern has a 52-week low of $83.09 and a 52-week high of $100.83.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $6.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.41 billion. Southern had a net margin of 14.69% and a return on equity of 12.52%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.50 EPS. Analysts expect that Southern will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Donaldson Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Southern by 2,785.8% in the third quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 563,027 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $53,358,000 after acquiring an additional 543,517 shares in the last quarter. Matrix Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,813,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Southern in the 3rd quarter valued at $4,852,000. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Southern by 23.6% in the 2nd quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 7,145 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $656,000 after purchasing an additional 1,366 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Shelton Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Southern by 700.6% during the 2nd quarter. Shelton Capital Management now owns 161,618 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $14,841,000 after purchasing an additional 141,430 shares during the last quarter. 64.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southern News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp raised its longer-term EPS outlook for Southern: modest bumps to FY2026 (to $4.58), FY2027 (to $4.93) and FY2028 (to $5.36) and a FY2030 view of $6.18 — a signal that the analyst expects gradual earnings growth over coming years. This is supportive for SO’s longer-term earnings trajectory but the changes are small. KeyCorp Research Note
• Neutral Sentiment: KeyCorp issued quarter-by-quarter EPS forecasts for 2026 (Q1 $1.23, Q2 $1.09, Q3 $1.71, Q4 $0.55) and reiterated a “Sector Weight” rating — meaning the firm lifted some annual estimates but did not upgrade its recommendation. That combination can limit immediate upside because the analyst still expects performance roughly in line with peers. KeyCorp Research Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Mississippi Power (a Southern Company subsidiary) named Fredie Carmichael VP of Customer Solutions & Corporate Communications — routine leadership hire with limited near-term financial impact but potentially relevant for customer/PR execution. Mississippi Power names Fredie Carmichael VP

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.