Southern (NYSE:SO) Stock Gets Price Target Cut from JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Posted by George Bondi on Oct 16th, 2026

Southern (NYSE:SO – Free Report) had its price objective trimmed by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $101.00 to $94.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

SO has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Southern from $114.00 to $104.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 25th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Southern from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Southern from $100.00 to $97.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Southern from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 18th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Southern has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $99.03.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on SO

Southern Stock Performance

NYSE SO opened at $89.19 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $87.74 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $92.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.59. Southern has a 1 year low of $81.69 and a 1 year high of $100.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $102.60 billion, a PE ratio of 19.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.31.

Southern (NYSE:SO – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $6.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.23 billion. Southern had a net margin of 15.43% and a return on equity of 12.93%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.79 EPS. Analysts predict that Southern will post 4.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th were given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. Southern’s payout ratio is presently 72.90%.

Institutional Trading of Southern

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Glenmede Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in shares of Southern by 19.1% in the first quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 92,289 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $8,908,000 after buying an additional 14,798 shares during the period. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp boosted its holdings in Southern by 29.2% during the 1st quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 50,628 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,887,000 after acquiring an additional 11,448 shares during the period. Mystic Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Southern during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,908,000. BIP Wealth LLC bought a new position in Southern during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,059,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Southern by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 8,380,592 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $808,895,000 after acquiring an additional 392,210 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Southern

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern this week:

Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp raised its 2026 full-year EPS estimate to $4.60 from $4.58 and increased its forecasts for 2028, 2029 and 2030 to $5.37, $5.77 and $6.19, respectively. The firm also lifted its third-quarter 2026 estimate to $1.74 from $1.66, suggesting some confidence in Southern’s longer-term earnings growth. KeyCorp Southern estimates
Positive Sentiment: Zacks said Southern has a strong earnings-surprise history and favorable conditions for potentially exceeding estimates in its next quarterly report. A future earnings beat could support the stock, particularly after the company exceeded the prior quarter’s EPS consensus. Why Southern may beat earnings estimates
Positive Sentiment: Southern continues to be highlighted by income-focused coverage as a utility with an attractive dividend profile, which may provide support among defensive and yield-oriented investors. Analyst views on high-dividend utilities
Neutral Sentiment: Georgia Power, Southern’s subsidiary, is promoting rebates, payment options and energy-saving assistance during Energy Efficiency Month. The initiatives could support customer relationships and affordability but are unlikely to materially change near-term earnings. Georgia Power customer assistance resources
Negative Sentiment: KeyCorp cut its fourth-quarter 2026 EPS forecast sharply to $0.42 from $0.60. Although the firm made small increases to several annual estimates, it retained an Underweight rating and a $74 price target, well below recent trading levels. KeyCorp cuts Southern price target
Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan also lowered its expectations for Southern’s stock price, adding to the negative analyst sentiment. JPMorgan lowers Southern expectations
Negative Sentiment: Recent commentary points to near-term cash-flow pressure, while a reported data breach involving Georgia Power, Alabama Power and Mississippi Power could create legal, remediation and reputational risks if customer claims develop. Southern Company utility data breach investigation

Southern Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Southern Company (NYSE:SO) is a diversified energy holding company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Through its operating subsidiaries, the company generates, transmits, distributes and sells electricity, while also providing natural gas distribution and related energy services.

Southern’s regulated electric utilities include Alabama Power, Georgia Power and Mississippi Power, which serve residential, commercial and industrial customers across the southeastern United States. The company’s portfolio includes coal, natural gas, nuclear, hydroelectric and renewable generation assets.