SO- The Southern Company
Utilities · Utilities - Regulated Electric
Price & Performance
Performance
Analysis & Verdict
Analyst Ratings
HoldWall Street consensus from 19 analysts
12-Month Price Target
$99.97
Based on analyst estimates; price targets are opinions, not guarantees.
Fair Value Estimates
Current price: $87.17
Graham Number
√(22.5 × EPS × Book Value)
$56.67
Benjamin Graham's intrinsic value formula. Assumes a fair stock trades at no more than 22.5× the product of EPS and book value per share.
Bazin Ceiling Price
Avg. Annual DPS (5Y) ÷ 6%
$46.33
Décio Bazin's dividend-based ceiling. The max price you should pay so that dividends alone deliver at least 6% annual yield on your cost basis.
These are simplified estimates. Not financial advice.
Buy & Hold Checklist
Quality criteria for long-term holding
8/10
80% score
Pays dividends
15Y hist.15+ years of dividend history
Dividend consistency (5Y+)
15 yrsUninterrupted dividend payments for at least 5 years
ROE above 10%
11.5%Return on equity - measures how efficiently capital is used
Positive profit margin
15.4%Net profit margin must be positive - company earns more than it spends
Revenue growth (annual)
+0.1%Annual revenue must be growing compared to the prior year
Earnings growth (annual)
+30.4%Annual earnings must be growing compared to the prior year
Debt/Equity below 2×
182.06×Low financial leverage reduces risk of distress
Current ratio above 1
0.79×Short-term assets must cover short-term liabilities
Daily liquidity above $5M
$505M/dayHigh trading volume ensures easy entry and exit
Dividend yield above 0%
3.49%Stock must distribute income to shareholders
Financials
Revenue & Results
Key Statistics
Earnings
Next Earnings
Oct 29, 2026
47
days
EPS (TTM)
$4.15
P/E (TTM)
21.0
Fwd P/E
17.7
SEC Filings & Reported Financials
Earnings History
SEC EDGAR · official filings
SEC Filings
Official EDGAR documents
Insider Transactions
SEC Form 4 · officers, directors & 10% owners
Dividends & Income
Dividends
Current DY
3.49%
5Y Avg Annual
$2.7080
Last Payment
$0.7600
Ex-Date
08/17/2026
Annual dividends paid per share
| Ex-Date | Payment | Amount | Est. DY |
|---|---|---|---|
Latest08/17/2026 | 09/08/2026 | $0.7600 | 3.49% |
05/18/2026 | 06/09/2026 | $0.7600 | 3.49% |
02/17/2026 | 03/11/2026 | $0.7400 | 3.40% |
11/17/2025 | 12/09/2025 | $0.7400 | 3.40% |
08/18/2025 | 09/09/2025 | $0.7400 | 3.40% |
05/19/2025 | 06/10/2025 | $0.7400 | 3.40% |
02/18/2025 | 03/12/2025 | $0.7200 | 3.30% |
11/18/2024 | 12/10/2024 | $0.7200 | 3.30% |
Magic Number
Shares needed to self-fund your next purchase
$87.17
Price
$0.7600
Last div. (quarterly)
115
shares
Own 115 SO shares ($10,024.55) and each quarterly dividend pays for 1 new share - the snowball runs on its own.
Investment target
$10,024.55
New shares / year
+4 shares
Dividend Calculator
3.49% yieldEstimate SO dividend income at the current rate.
Per year
$348.74
Per month
$29.06
≈ 114.7 shares at $3.04/share a year. Estimate only - dividends can be cut or raised.
Tools & Simulators
SO vs Peers, Indexes & Commodities
?Click a card below to plot it on the chart
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Parameters
Final value
$426,404.61
Total invested
$130,000.00
Total interest
$296,404.61
Balance over time
Period breakdown
| Period | Balance | Invested | Interest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | $10,000.00 | $10,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Year 1 | $17,270.27 | $16,000.00 | $1,270.27 |
| Year 2 | $25,267.56 | $22,000.00 | $3,267.56 |
| Year 3 | $34,064.59 | $28,000.00 | $6,064.59 |
| Year 4 | $43,741.32 | $34,000.00 | $9,741.32 |
| Year 5 | $54,385.72 | $40,000.00 | $14,385.72 |
| Year 6 | $66,094.55 | $46,000.00 | $20,094.55 |
| Year 7 | $78,974.28 | $52,000.00 | $26,974.28 |
| Year 8 | $93,141.97 | $58,000.00 | $35,141.97 |
| Year 9 | $108,726.44 | $64,000.00 | $44,726.44 |
| Year 10 | $125,869.35 | $70,000.00 | $55,869.35 |
| Year 11 | $144,726.56 | $76,000.00 | $68,726.56 |
| Year 12 | $165,469.48 | $82,000.00 | $83,469.48 |
| Year 13 | $188,286.70 | $88,000.00 | $100,286.70 |
| Year 14 | $213,385.63 | $94,000.00 | $119,385.63 |
| Year 15 | $240,994.47 | $100,000.00 | $140,994.47 |
| Year 16 | $271,364.18 | $106,000.00 | $165,364.18 |
| Year 17 | $304,770.87 | $112,000.00 | $192,770.87 |
| Year 18 | $341,518.22 | $118,000.00 | $223,518.22 |
| Year 19 | $381,940.31 | $124,000.00 | $257,940.31 |
| Year 20 | $426,404.61 | $130,000.00 | $296,404.61 |
What is compound interest?
Compound interest means that the interest you earn in one period is added to your principal, so in the next period you earn interest on a larger base. This creates exponential growth: the longer your time horizon, the more dramatic the effect.
Which rate should I use?
The S&P 500 has historically returned ~10%/year before inflation over long periods - use this for an all-equity US index fund scenario. A balanced growth portfolio (stocks + bonds) is closer to 7%. High-yield savings accounts (HYSA) are currently paying around 4-5% with FDIC insurance and zero market risk. Bonds historically return ~4% annualized.
Formula used
FV = PV × (1+r)^n + PMT × ((1+r)^n − 1) / rwhere r is the monthly rate, n is the number of months, PV is the initial investment, and PMT is the monthly contribution. Annual rates are converted to monthly viar = (1 + annual%)^(1/12) − 1.
For educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Past returns do not guarantee future results.
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About The Southern Company
The Southern Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the sale of electricity. The company offers electric service to retail customers and wholesale customers; and energy-related products and services to natural gas choice markets. It also develops, constructs, acquires, owns, operates, and manages power generation assets, as well as battery energy storage projects; sells electricity at market-based rates in the wholesale market; and deploys microgrids for commercial, industrial, governmental, and utility customers. In addition, the company is involved in the distribution of natural gas in Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee; distributes energy and resilience solutions; and invests in telecommunications. The Southern Company was incorporated in 1945 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
Sector
Utilities
Industry
Utilities - Regulated Electric
Location
Atlanta, United States
Employees
29,502
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The Southern Company (SO) stock trades at $87.17, down 0.66% on the day. With a market capitalization of $100.28 billion, SO is a large-cap utilities stock. It trades at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 21.0, a forward P/E of 17.7 and earnings per share (EPS) of $4.15. Over the most recent period the company reported 0% year-over-year revenue growth and a net profit margin of 15.4%. Below you'll find SO's full fundamentals, fair-value estimates, dividend history, earnings and our buy, hold or avoid verdict for 2026.
SO - Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Southern Company (SO) a good stock to buy in 2026?
The Southern Company (SO) shows strengths such as a strong 15% net margin, while risks include high leverage (debt/equity of 182.1). Whether SO is a good buy in 2026 depends on your time horizon and risk tolerance - review the full bull case, bear case and fair-value estimates above. This is informational analysis, not financial advice.
What is SO's stock price today?
The Southern Company (SO) trades at $87.17, down 0.66% on the session. Prices on this page update throughout the trading day.
Does SO pay a dividend?
Yes. The Southern Company pays an annual dividend of $3.04 per share, a dividend yield of 3.49%. The most recent ex-dividend date was August 17, 2026. Its payout ratio is about 72% of earnings.
Is SO overvalued?
With a P/E ratio of 21.0×, SO trades at a roughly market-average valuation for the utilities sector. Its PEG ratio is 2.09. See the Fair Value Estimates section above for Graham Number and dividend-based price targets.
What is SO's market cap?
The Southern Company (SO) has a market capitalization of $100.28 billion, classifying it as a large-cap stock in the Utilities sector.
Disclaimer: This page - including any buy/hold/avoid view, fair value or price estimate - is generated from market data for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment or trading advice. Data may be delayed or inaccurate. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial advisor before making any investment decision.