Research Analysts Set Expectations for Southern Q1 Earnings

The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) – Zacks Research upped their Q1 2025 earnings estimates for Southern in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, March 12th. Zacks Research analyst T. Saha now anticipates that the utilities provider will earn $1.20 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.07. The consensus estimate for Southern’s current full-year earnings is $4.29 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Southern’s Q2 2025 earnings at $1.08 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $1.40 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $1.18 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.25 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $4.58 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $4.88 EPS.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The utilities provider reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.51 by ($0.01). Southern had a net margin of 16.47% and a return on equity of 12.23%. The firm had revenue of $6.34 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.90 billion.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Southern from $96.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Southern from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Southern from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Guggenheim downgraded shares of Southern from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $90.54.

Southern Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:SO opened at $90.44 on Friday. Southern has a 52 week low of $67.53 and a 52 week high of $94.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $99.19 billion, a PE ratio of 22.55, a PEG ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $85.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $87.13.

Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 71.82%.

Insider Activity at Southern

In other Southern news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 32,190 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.12, for a total value of $2,997,532.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 106,819 shares in the company, valued at $9,946,985.28. This trade represents a 23.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Martin Bernard Davis sold 1,125 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.61, for a total transaction of $100,811.25. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 102,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,148,284.90. This represents a 1.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 47,855 shares of company stock valued at $4,348,784. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Southern

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northstar Financial Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $564,000. Old North State Trust LLC lifted its stake in shares of Southern by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Old North State Trust LLC now owns 24,984 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,057,000 after buying an additional 2,684 shares during the last quarter. Copia Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Elite Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $373,000. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southern during the 4th quarter worth about $246,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

About Southern

The Southern Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. The company also develops, constructs, acquires, owns, and manages power generation assets, including renewable energy projects and sells electricity in the wholesale market; and distributes natural gas in Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee, as well as provides gas marketing services, gas distribution operations, and gas pipeline investments operations.