Southern (NYSE:SO) Upgraded at Mizuho

Mizuho upgraded shares of Southern (NYSE:SO) from a hold rating to an outperform rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Mizuho currently has $104.00 price target on the utilities provider’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on SO. KeyCorp dropped their price target on shares of Southern from $87.00 to $76.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Truist Financial set a $103.00 target price on Southern in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Southern from $104.00 to $93.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 15th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Southern in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $97.14.

Southern Stock Performance

Shares of SO stock opened at $94.14 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $88.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $91.28. Southern has a 12 month low of $83.09 and a 12 month high of $100.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $103.65 billion, a PE ratio of 23.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.45.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $6.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.41 billion. Southern had a net margin of 14.69% and a return on equity of 12.52%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.50 earnings per share. Southern has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.200-1.20 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.500-4.600 EPS. Analysts forecast that Southern will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $0.74 per share. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 75.32%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SO. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Ankerstar Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Southern during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in Southern in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in Southern in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Southern in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

More Southern News

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue beat and strong top-line growth: Q4 revenue of ~$6.98B topped consensus (~$6.41B) and was up ~10% year-over-year, showing demand strength that supports future cash flow. Compared to Estimates, Southern Co. (SO) Q4 Earnings: A Look at Key Metrics
• Positive Sentiment: Upbeat near-term guidance: Southern raised its FY2026 EPS guidance to $4.50–4.60 and issued a Q1 2026 guide of $1.20 — Q1 guidance materially above consensus — which suggests management expects strong early-year earnings momentum. Southern Company reports fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Company materials released: slide deck and earnings presentation / call were published for investors to dig into drivers and assumptions behind guidance and capex plans. These materials clarify the outlook but may not change sentiment immediately. The Southern Company 2025 Q4 – Results – Earnings Call Presentation
• Negative Sentiment: Small EPS miss and mixed profitability signals: Adjusted EPS came in at $0.55 vs. a $0.56 consensus (a modest miss), which, together with differing reported GAAP figures, has raised questions about underlying margin trends. Southern Co. (SO) Misses Q4 Earnings Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Raised multi-year spending plan and profit commentary: Reuters flags that Southern forecast annual profit below some analysts’ expectations while raising its five-year spending plan to support large-load customers (data centers, industrials). Higher capex and near-term profit pressure are risk factors for margins and credit metrics. Southern Co forecasts annual profit below estimates, raises spending plan

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.