KeyCorp Analysts Increase Earnings Estimates for Southern

Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) – Stock analysts at KeyCorp lifted their FY2029 EPS estimates for Southern in a report released on Tuesday, March 3rd. KeyCorp analyst S. Karp now forecasts that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $5.76 for the year, up from their previous estimate of $5.52. KeyCorp has a “Sector Weight” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Southern’s current full-year earnings is $4.29 per share.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on SO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Southern from $104.00 to $93.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 15th. Mizuho set a $104.00 price target on Southern and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Southern from $91.00 to $88.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. UBS Group cut their target price on Southern from $98.00 to $94.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $103.00 target price on Southern in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $98.08.

Southern Stock Performance

SO opened at $97.75 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $90.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $91.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.47. The firm has a market cap of $107.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.87, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.44. Southern has a 1-year low of $83.09 and a 1-year high of $100.83.

Southern (NYSE:SO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.01). Southern had a net margin of 14.69% and a return on equity of 12.52%. The company had revenue of $6.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.41 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.50 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Southern Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $0.74 per share. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. Southern’s dividend payout ratio is presently 75.32%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Union Savings Bank bought a new stake in shares of Southern during the 4th quarter worth approximately $593,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in Southern by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,848,710 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $161,249,000 after acquiring an additional 103,518 shares during the last quarter. Bayban purchased a new stake in Southern in the fourth quarter worth $78,000. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group increased its stake in Southern by 21.6% in the fourth quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 12,391 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,081,000 after purchasing an additional 2,203 shares during the period. Finally, SHP Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Southern during the fourth quarter worth $516,000. 64.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Southern

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore upgraded SO from “in-line” to “outperform” and set a $111 price target (~13.5% upside vs. the recent price). The upgrade signals increased conviction from a sell‑side shop and likely lifted buying interest. Street Insider
• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp raised its multi‑year earnings outlook for Southern — notably boosting FY2029 to $5.76/share (from $5.52) and lifting FY2026–FY2030 estimates across the board — which implies stronger future cash flow and supports higher valuation multiples. These upward revisions can justify more bullish price targets and help underpin the stock. MarketBeat
• Neutral Sentiment: KeyCorp left a “Sector Weight” rating on SO despite raising EPS forecasts; that suggests the firm is more confident in underlying earnings trends but not ready to move to an outright buy stance, so the impact may be more measured than a full‑throated upgrade. MarketBeat

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.