Southern (NYSE:SO) Announces Q4 2026 Earnings Guidance

Southern (NYSE:SO) issued an update on its fourth quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 0.300-0.300 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 0.440. Southern also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 4.700-4.700 EPS.

Southern Stock Up 0.4%

Southern stock traded up $0.38 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $93.50. 15,838,178 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,927,267. The company has a market cap of $107.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.30. Southern has a twelve month low of $81.69 and a twelve month high of $99.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The company has a fifty day moving average of $88.02 and a 200-day moving average of $92.44.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.23. Southern had a net margin of 15.43% and a return on equity of 12.93%. The company had revenue of $8.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.54 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Southern will post 4.59 EPS for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 7th. Investors of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 72.90%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on SO shares. Mizuho set a $106.00 price target on shares of Southern and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Southern from $101.00 to $92.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Southern from $103.00 to $101.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Southern from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 19th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $97.24.

More Southern News

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter EPS of $1.94 topped the $1.71 consensus, while revenue of $8.84 billion exceeded the $8.38 billion estimate and rose 13% year over year. Separately, Southern reported GAAP earnings per share of $1.77, up from $1.55 a year earlier. Southern Co. Q3 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates Southern Company reports third-quarter 2026 earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Full-year 2026 EPS guidance of $4.70 is above the $4.59 consensus, signaling a stronger annual outlook.
• Positive Sentiment: 2028 EPS guidance of $5.25–$5.45 matches consensus at the low end and exceeds it at the midpoint, suggesting potential for longer-term earnings growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Fourth-quarter EPS guidance of $0.30 is below the $0.44 consensus, a near-term shortfall that could temper the positive reaction to the quarterly beat.

About Southern

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

Southern’s electric utility operations include Alabama Power, Georgia Power and Mississippi Power, which serve customers across Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. The company’s generation portfolio includes nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric and renewable energy resources.