Research Analysts Offer Predictions for Southern Q3 Earnings

Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) – Equities research analysts at KeyCorp cut their Q3 2026 earnings estimates for Southern in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, July 22nd. KeyCorp analyst S. Karp now anticipates that the utilities provider will earn $1.66 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $1.71. KeyCorp has a “Underweight” rating and a $79.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Southern’s current full-year earnings is $4.58 per share. KeyCorp also issued estimates for Southern’s Q4 2026 earnings at $0.60 EPS, FY2028 earnings at $5.35 EPS, FY2029 earnings at $5.75 EPS and FY2030 earnings at $6.17 EPS.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on SO. Truist Financial dropped their target price on Southern from $103.00 to $100.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 29th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $99.00 price target on Southern in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Seaport Research Partners downgraded Southern from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Southern in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Mizuho set a $105.00 target price on Southern in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Southern currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $100.09.

Southern Trading Up 0.7%

Southern stock opened at $97.29 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $94.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $93.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $109.67 billion, a PE ratio of 24.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.34. Southern has a 12-month low of $83.80 and a 12-month high of $100.83.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.11. Southern had a net margin of 14.46% and a return on equity of 12.64%. The firm had revenue of $8.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.23 EPS. Southern’s quarterly revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.35%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Uptick Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Southern by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Uptick Partners LLC now owns 7,601 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $734,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Seelaus Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Southern by 2.4% during the first quarter. Seelaus Asset Management LLC now owns 4,923 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $475,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. KCM Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Southern by 0.3% during the first quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 34,328 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,313,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Stokes Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Southern by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Stokes Family Office LLC now owns 15,994 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,395,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Leonteq Securities AG boosted its position in shares of Southern by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Leonteq Securities AG now owns 2,657 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Southern

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Southern’s Georgia Power subsidiary signed a long-term power agreement with OpenAI, which could support future electricity demand and reinforce the company’s role in powering AI data center growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced it is joining President Trump’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge, highlighting a customer-first approach focused on rate stability, grid reliability, and responsible growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts remain constructive on near-term earnings, with Zacks saying Southern may have the right setup to beat upcoming results. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: KeyCorp raised its Q4 2026 EPS estimate to $0.60 from $0.55, but kept an Underweight rating and a $79 price target, so the update is mixed despite the higher forecast. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: KeyCorp also trimmed estimates for Southern’s Q3 2026, FY2028, FY2029, and FY2030 earnings, which may weigh on sentiment even though the changes were modest. Article Title

About Southern

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.