Southern Company (The) $SO Stock: Griffith & Werner Inc. Raises Position

Griffith & Werner Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) by 16.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 79,527 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,036 shares during the period. Southern accounts for approximately 2.1% of Griffith & Werner Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Griffith & Werner Inc.’s holdings in Southern were worth $6,592,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in Southern by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 8,380,592 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $808,895,000 after purchasing an additional 392,210 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at about $737,256,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in Southern by 9.8% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,681,674 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $543,793,000 after purchasing an additional 508,149 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its holdings in Southern by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,785,562 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $313,785,000 after purchasing an additional 19,239 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Southern by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 3,231,400 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $311,895,000 after purchasing an additional 216,900 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Southern News

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter adjusted EPS of $1.94 beat the $1.71 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 13% year over year to $8.84 billion, also ahead of expectations. The company’s earnings release reported $1.77 per share on its stated basis, compared with $1.55 a year earlier. Article: Southern Co. Q3 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted surging data-center demand and 21 GW of large-load contracts. Its 2026 EPS guidance of $4.70 is above the $4.59 consensus, and 2028 guidance of $5.25–$5.45 spans from consensus to above it—supporting the longer-term growth outlook. Article: Southern Q3 Earnings Call Highlights Growth and Capital Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: A potential $100 billion capital plan could enable investment to serve rising electricity demand, but its eventual scale and funding needs remain considerations for investors. Article: Southern Q3 Earnings Call Highlights Growth and Capital Upside
• Negative Sentiment: Fourth-quarter 2026 EPS guidance of $0.30 is below analysts’ $0.44 estimate. That near-term shortfall may temper the positive reaction to the quarterly beat and full-year guidance. Article: Southern Company Q3 Earnings Report

Southern Stock Performance

Southern stock opened at $92.16 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $107.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.99, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.30. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $88.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $92.48. Southern Company has a 52 week low of $81.69 and a 52 week high of $99.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.23. Southern had a return on equity of 13.57% and a net margin of 16.00%. The firm had revenue of $8.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.54 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Southern Company will post 4.70 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on SO shares. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Southern in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Southern from $101.00 to $92.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on shares of Southern from $103.00 to $93.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Southern from $103.00 to $101.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Southern from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $97.24.

Southern Company Profile

Southern Company is an energy holding company based in Atlanta, Georgia. Through its subsidiaries, it generates, transmits and distributes electricity and provides natural gas service, primarily across the southeastern United States.

Its electric utility businesses include Alabama Power, Georgia Power and Mississippi Power, which serve customers in their respective states. Southern Company also owns Southern Power, which develops and operates wholesale power generation assets, and Southern Company Gas, whose businesses distribute natural gas to customers in several states.

Formed in 1945, Southern Company has grown from a regional electric utility holding company into a diversified energy provider.