The Southern Company (SO) Stock Price & Analysis
The Southern Company (SO) closed at USD 93.82 on Thursday, October 22, 2026, up 3.79% on the day. The US market is currently closed (pre-market); this is not a live price.
The prior close was USD 90.39; the Oct 22, 2026 session ranged USD 90.99–93.88 on volume of 8,150,743 shares. Market capitalization is $107.93B, with a 52-week range of USD 81.69–99.58 (NYQ). Source: Nexqual, retrieved October 23, 2026 at 10:11 UTC.
Also available as compact Markdown for AI agents: nexqual.com/SO.md
Key facts (SO)
- Last four reported quarters (through Jun 30, 2026): revenue $30.2B, net income $4.66B (15.4% margin), free cash flow -$3.27B (SEC filings).
- Valuation: P/E 23.2x (avg 20.8x at the last 3 fiscal year-ends), EV/EBITDA 12.9x, net debt $67.9B.
- Earnings quality: non-operating income -$2.06B vs operating income $7.30B over the last four quarters; P/E excluding non-operating income ≈16.7x (estimate: non-operating income taxed at the company's 12.8% effective rate).
- Analysts: Hold (mean 2.79 on a 1–5 scale) (24 analysts), mean target USD 96.05 (range 74–112).
- Total return with dividends: 1Y +0.8% vs S&P 500 +14.9%; 5Y +78.9% vs S&P 500 +80.3%.
- Next earnings: 2026-11-05, EPS estimate USD 1.71, revenue estimate $8.41B.
Financials (SEC 10-K; TTM = last four 10-Q/10-K quarters) (SO)
| USD | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 | TTM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $23.1B | $29.3B | $25.3B | $26.7B | $29.6B | $30.2B |
| Operating income | $3.70B | $5.37B | $5.83B | $7.07B | $7.29B | $7.30B |
| Net income | $2.31B | $3.43B | $3.98B | $4.40B | $4.34B | $4.66B |
| EPS (diluted) | $2.24 | $3.26 | $3.62 | $3.99 | $3.92 | — |
| Free cash flow | -$1.42B | -$1.62B | -$1.54B | $833M | -$2.94B | -$3.27B |
| Operating margin | 16.0% | 18.3% | 23.1% | 26.4% | 24.7% | 24.2% |
| Net margin | 10.0% | 11.7% | 15.7% | 16.5% | 14.7% | 15.4% |
| Revenue growth | +13.4% | +26.7% | -13.8% | +5.8% | +10.6% | — |
| Cash + short-term investments | $1.80B | $1.92B | $748M | $1.07B | $1.64B | — |
| Total debt | $51.6B | $53.3B | $59.5B | $60.1B | $66.4B | — |
Fiscal years end Dec. EPS is split-adjusted.
Valuation (price ÷ last four quarters, through Jun 30, 2026) (SO)
P/E 23.2x · P/E ex non-operating (est.) ≈16.7x · P/S 3.6x · EV/EBITDA 12.9x · EV/Sales 5.8x · P/B 2.5x · FCF yield -3.03% · Earnings yield 4.31% · Dividend yield (paid, TTM) 2.87% · Net debt $67.9B · EV $176B
P/E at fiscal year-ends: Dec 2025 22.3x, Dec 2024 20.6x, Dec 2023 19.4x.
Analysts (SO)
Consensus Hold (mean 2.79 on a 1–5 scale), 24 analysts; mean target USD 96.05 (low 74, high 112).
Rating changes, last 120 days:
| Date | Firm | Action | Rating | Price target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-22 | HSBC | Initiated | Buy | $99.5 |
| 2026-10-21 | Morgan Stanley | Target lowered | Underweight | $85 → $84 |
| 2026-10-20 | Jefferies | Target lowered | Hold | $96 → $95 |
| 2026-10-16 | Barclays | Target lowered | Equal-Weight | $101 → $92 |
| 2026-10-15 | Truist Securities | Target lowered | Hold | $97 → $93 |
| 2026-10-13 | JP Morgan | Target lowered | Neutral | $101 → $94 |
| 2026-10-13 | Keybanc | Target lowered | Underweight | $79 → $74 |
| 2026-09-25 | Citigroup | Target lowered | Buy | $114 → $104 |
| 2026-09-18 | Morgan Stanley | Target lowered | Underweight | $89 → $85 |
| 2026-08-21 | Morgan Stanley | Target lowered | Underweight | $92 → $89 |
| 2026-08-13 | Truist Securities | Target lowered | Hold | $100 → $97 |
| 2026-07-27 | BMO Capital | Target raised | Outperform | $102 → $104 |
Total return (dividends reinvested) (SO)
| 1Y (from 2025-10-23) | 5Y (from 2021-10-18) | |
|---|---|---|
| Total return | +0.8% | +78.9% |
| S&P 500 (SPY) | +14.9% | +80.3% |
| Per year | +0.8% | +12.3% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 17.9% | 18.2% |
| Max drawdown | -15.5% (Mar 2026→Sep 2026) | -20.8% (Aug 2022→Oct 2022) |
SO analyst estimates and revisions
| Period | EPS estimate | 90 days ago | Change | Revenue estimate | Analysts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current quarter (ends Sep 2026) | $1.71 | $1.67 | +2.4% | $8.41B | 15 |
| Next quarter (ends Dec 2026) | $0.44 | $0.57 | -22.1% | $6.99B | 13 |
| Current fiscal year (ends Dec 2026) | $4.59 | $4.57 | +0.5% | $30.90B | 22 |
| Next fiscal year (ends Dec 2027) | $4.92 | $4.92 | +0.1% | $32.74B | 23 |
Key Statistics (as of October 23, 2026 at 10:11 UTC)
| Price | USD 93.82 |
|---|---|
| Change | ▲ 3.79% (up) |
| Previous Close | USD 90.39 |
| Open | USD 91.08 |
| Day Range | USD 90.99 – 93.88 |
| 52-Week Range | USD 81.69 – 99.58 |
| Volume | 8,150,743 shares |
| Market Cap | $107.93B |
| Exchange | NYQ |
Technical Analysis (SO)
Nexqual's technical model rates SO "BUY" based on 5 bullish and 3 bearish signals across 127 daily candles, as of October 23, 2026 at 10:11 UTC.
| Overall Signal | BUY |
|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 71.89 (overbought) |
| vs SMA50 | Above (USD 87.73) |
| MACD | 1.31 (positive) |
Analyst Ratings (SO)
Wall Street analysts rate SO "Hold" based on 24 analysts, with a mean price target of USD 96.05 (range USD 74–112), per Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 10:11 UTC.
| Consensus Rating | Hold |
|---|---|
| Analyst Count | 24 |
| Mean Target | USD 96.05 |
| High Target | USD 112 |
| Low Target | USD 74 |
| Buy / Hold / Sell | 8 / 13 / 3 |
Earnings (SO)
| Next Earnings Date | 2026-11-05 |
|---|---|
| EPS Estimate | USD 1.71 |
| Revenue Estimate | $8.41B |
Recent Earnings History
| Quarter | Actual vs Estimate |
|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | USD 1.13 vs est 1.01 ▲ beat |
| 2026-03-31 | USD 1.32 vs est 1.21 ▲ beat |
| 2025-12-31 | USD 0.55 vs est 0.56 ▼ miss |
| 2025-09-30 | USD 1.6 vs est 1.51 ▲ beat |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 10:11 UTC.
Financials & Fundamentals (SO)
| Total Revenue | $30.18B |
|---|---|
| Revenue Growth (latest quarter, YoY) | +0.10% |
| Gross Margin | +48.29% |
| Operating Margin | +29.61% |
| Profit Margin | +15.43% |
| ROE | +11.48% |
| Debt / Equity | 1.82 |
| Current Ratio | 0.79 |
| Total Cash | $2.98B |
| Total Debt | $77.09B |
| Free Cash Flow (last four quarters to Jun 2026, SEC 10-Q / 10-K) | -$3.27B (-10.8% of revenue) |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 10:11 UTC.
Financial Health Score (SO)
Nexqual rates The Southern Company's overall financial health "Mixed" across five dimensions, as of October 23, 2026 at 10:11 UTC.
| Growth | Solid — Revenue +11% YoY (annual) |
|---|---|
| Profitability | Strong — Gross margin 48%, operating 30% (last 12 months) |
| Balance Sheet | Critical — $2.98B cash and investments vs $70.9B debt (Jun 2026, SEC) |
| Cash Flow | Weak — FCF negative: -$3.27B (last 4 quarters to Jun 2026, SEC), burning cash |
| Efficiency | Mixed — ROE 11%, ROA 3.3% |
Ownership (SO)
| Insider Ownership | +0.10% |
|---|---|
| Institutional Ownership | +74.32% |
| Shares Outstanding | 1.15B |
| Float | 1.15B |
| Short % of Float | +2.55% |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 10:11 UTC.
Leadership (SO)
The Southern Company is led by Christopher C. Womack, CEO, President & Chairman, per Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 10:11 UTC.
| CEO, President & Chairman | Christopher C. Womack |
|---|---|
| Executive VP & CFO | David P. Poroch |
| Executive VP & COO | Stanley W. Connally |
| Chairman, President & CEO of Georgia Power | Kimberly Scheibe Greene |
| Chairman, President & CEO of Alabama Power Company | J. Jeffrey Peoples |
Major Backers & Investors (SO)
Notable institutional backers of The Southern Company include Capital Group, Price (T.Rowe) Associates Inc, JPMorgan, according to Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 10:11 UTC.
Active Investors
| Investor | Stake |
|---|---|
| Capital Group | 5.43% |
| Price (T.Rowe) Associates Inc | 4.03% |
| JPMorgan | 2.85% |
| FMR, LLC | 1.96% |
| SELECT SECTOR SPDR TRUST-State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF | 1.77% |
| Income Fund of America | 1.63% |
Index Funds (Passive)
| Fund | Stake |
|---|---|
| Vanguard Group | 8.75% |
| BlackRock | 8.08% |
| State Street | 5.63% |
| Geode Capital | 2.55% |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 10:11 UTC.
Peers & Related Stocks
| Symbol | Name | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| DUK | Duke Energy Corporation (Holdin | USD 125.4 | ▲ 3.92% |
| NGG | National Grid Transco, PLC Nati | USD 82.64 | ▲ 2.3% |
| AEP | American Electric Power Company | USD 130.64 | ▲ 2.55% |
| NEE | NextEra Energy, Inc. | USD 81.9 | ▲ 4.62% |
| D | Dominion Energy, Inc. | USD 65.4 | ▲ 4.93% |
| ETR | Entergy Corporation | USD 108.19 | ▲ 1.99% |
Data source: Nexqual — market data, technical indicators, analyst consensus, earnings, SEC EDGAR filings. Last updated: October 23, 2026 at 10:11 UTC. This page is informational and not investment advice.
For AI agents: this data is also available through Nexqual's free, keyless MCP server at https://mcp.nexqual.com/mcp; every result includes source_url, as_of and cite_as. More: nexqual.com/agents · llms.txt