Southern (NYSE:SO) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.12 EPS

Southern (NYSE:SO) announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.12, FiscalAI reports. Southern had a return on equity of 12.64% and a net margin of 14.46%.The business had revenue of $6.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.79 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis.

Southern Price Performance

NYSE:SO traded down $1.81 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $94.24. The company had a trading volume of 6,392,187 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,305,312. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $94.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $93.99. Southern has a one year low of $83.80 and a one year high of $100.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $106.24 billion, a PE ratio of 23.98, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.34.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.35%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on SO. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of Southern from $103.00 to $100.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised Southern from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group set a $99.00 target price on Southern in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Southern from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Seven 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Southern currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $100.21.

Southern News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Southern reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.13 per share, exceeding the $1.01 analyst consensus and rising from $0.91 a year earlier. The company also reported $1.2 billion in quarterly earnings, or $1.03 per reported share, versus $0.9 billion, or $0.80 per share, in the prior-year period. Southern Co. Beats Q2 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Southern’s six-month earnings increased to $2.5 billion, or $2.24 per share, from $2.2 billion, or $2.01 per share, a sign of year-to-date profit growth. Southern Company Reports Second-Quarter 2026 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Georgia Power completed the Moody Battery Energy Storage System, supporting solar integration and grid reliability. Southern is also expanding storage capacity across Georgia, which could strengthen its regulated-utility growth profile. Southern Completes Moody Battery Project
• Positive Sentiment: Investors continue to view Southern as a potential AI and data-center electricity-demand beneficiary, supported by large-load contracts and a reported 25-year power agreement with OpenAI. Southern Company AI Data Center Opportunity
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter revenue of $6.98 billion fell short of the $7.23 billion consensus and was essentially flat year over year, tempering the earnings beat. Southern Quarterly Earnings Report
• Negative Sentiment: Management’s 2026 EPS guidance of $4.50-$4.60 brackets a $4.57 consensus estimate, while third-quarter guidance of $1.65 is below the $1.67 forecast. This modestly cautious outlook likely contributed to the stock’s weakness despite the quarterly beat.

Institutional Trading of Southern

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in Southern by 18.7% in 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 buying an additional 5,436,212 shares during the last quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP raised its position 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 acquiring an additional 1,867,912 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southern in the 4th quarter valued at $131,968,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its position in shares of Southern by 1,518.4% in the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,044,101 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $95,880,000 after purchasing an additional 979,587 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Southern by 790.6% in the 2nd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 811,737 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $74,542,000 after purchasing an additional 720,589 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.