The Southern Company (SO) Stock Analysis 2026

This chart shows how SO's revenue flows through to profit. Each row deducts a layer of costs: first the direct cost of making products/services (Cost of Revenue), then operating expenses like marketing and R&D, then taxes. What remains at the bottom is net income — the actual profit shareholders own. High gross and net margins indicate a business with strong pricing power and efficiency.

The Southern Company trades at a trailing P/E of 21.27x, generates $-3.91B in free cash flow, runs a debt/equity ratio of 182.06, and converts shareholder equity into profit at a 11.5% return on equity. For context: P/E ratio measures how much you pay for $1 of earnings (lower = cheaper, but fast-growing companies command higher P/E); Free Cash Flow is the cash left after running the business; Debt/Equity shows how leveraged a company is; Return on Equity shows how efficiently it turns shareholder capital into profit.

18 analysts covering The Southern Company currently lean toward a Hold rating, with a mean 12-month price target of $100.29 (+17.3% vs the current price). Analysts set these targets after researching a company's earnings, competitive position, and industry trends — Strong Buy / Buy means the majority expect meaningful upside, while Hold means fair value near the current price rather than a sell signal.

SO is currently in a short-term downtrend, trading below its 50-day average of $93.92 and below its 200-day average of $92.46. Moving averages smooth out day-to-day volatility to reveal the underlying trend — a Golden Cross (50MA crosses above 200MA) is a classic bullish signal, a Death Cross is bearish, though both are lagging indicators that confirm trends rather than predict them.