Southern (NYSE:SO) Releases Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.01 EPS

Southern (NYSE:SO) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The utilities provider reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.01), FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $6.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.41 billion. Southern had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 12.52%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.50 earnings per share.

Southern Trading Up 4.5%

NYSE SO traded up $4.12 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $95.16. The company had a trading volume of 16,060,706 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,408,345. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $104.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.45. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $88.56 and a 200 day moving average of $91.34. Southern has a 1-year low of $83.09 and a 1-year high of $100.83.

Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a $0.74 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.27%.

Institutional Trading of Southern

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Stokes Family Office LLC lifted its stake in Southern by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Stokes Family Office LLC now owns 15,994 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,395,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Tradewinds LLC. increased its stake in Southern by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 11,528 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,005,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Southern by 3.6% during the second quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,575 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $328,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Southern by 4.5% in the second quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,879 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $264,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Finally, Keebeck Wealth Management increased its stake in Southern by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Keebeck Wealth Management now owns 5,988 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $567,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group decreased their target price on Southern from $98.00 to $94.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. KeyCorp reduced their price objective on Southern from $87.00 to $76.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. 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. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Southern from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $98.00 target price for the company. in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Southern from $97.00 to $88.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $94.91.

Trending Headlines about Southern

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company issued Q1 2026 guidance of $1.20 and FY2026 guidance of $4.50–4.60 EPS, above recent consensus (Q1 consensus ~0.83; FY consensus ~4.45), which supports a stronger near-term earnings outlook. Earnings Presentation
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue beat: reported Q4 revenue of $6.98B versus analysts’ ~$6.41B estimate; revenue rose ~10% year-over-year, indicating demand growth and rate/recovery drivers. Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Company released its full slide deck and conference materials — useful for investors wanting detail on drivers, regulatory expectations and capex timing. Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: EPS miss and mixed accounting: reported adjusted EPS ~$0.55 (vs. consensus ~$0.56) — a small miss — and PR materials show differing GAAP figures for the quarter, which can complicate near-term EPS interpretation. Zacks: EPS Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Company raised its five‑year spending plan to support large-load customers (data centers, industrials); Reuters notes Southern also forecast annual profit below some analysts’ estimates — higher capex and lower near-term profit expectations can weigh on multiples. Reuters: Forecast & Spending Plan
• Negative Sentiment: Some sell‑side reactions are cautious: recent coverage includes downgrades/“Hold” consensus from brokers, reflecting concerns about capex, regulatory timing and valuation. Seeking Alpha Downgrade Analyst Consensus

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.