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TickerTalks›$SO
SOSO

The Southern Company

Strong FundamentalsStrong FundamentalsRevenue growing 8% YoY at strong marginsStreet coverage with positive forward estimatesQuiet on X (63 mentions/wk)
$SO·$107B·Regulated Electric·Utilities
$88.00-0.3%YTD+7.0%1Y-4.4%
Mentions · last 7 days
2026-08-22: 6 posts63+9%
Price updated 7h ago·X counts updated 9d ago
SOSO
$SOThe Southern Company
$88.00-0.28%63 posts+9%
AI analysisFundamentalsVoices on X
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AI verdict & sentimentAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

Today's AI verdict on what's driving $SO, plus how loud the X conversation is and which way it's leaning.

AI analysis

TickerTalks’ read on the fundamentals and what’s driving the move.

Proven numbersWinding up for a moveAI verdict · as of 2026-08-26

Trading in a tight range and building pressure — a move looks likely soon, but the direction isn't clear yet.

Southern Co is coiled at 36% of range as a 'hidden AI play' with Georgia-Power data-center-load exposure.

The Southern Company is a Southeast-US regulated utility with Georgia Power as the anchor — the specific utility positioned for datacenter-load growth in Georgia (Alpharetta, Douglas County). The tape is coiled as the AI-power narrative gains traction.

  • The 'hidden AI play' framing is genuine: Jacob Sonenshine names SO alongside TER as a hidden AI play, and SO's Georgia Power position captures the data-center-load buildout in Atlanta's fiber-triangle — that's specific utility-level AI exposure that most investors haven't fully priced in.
  • The fundamentals are stable utility-quality: PE 24x trailing on 43% gross margin, 24% operating margin, and modest 4.7% dividend yield with steady growth — a utility compounder at those metrics with data-center-load-growth optionality is genuinely underpriced against the accelerating datacenter theme.
  • The tape is coiled below the moving averages: at 36% of the 52-week range, 5% below the 50-day and 3% below the 200-day on 0.95x normal volume with beta 0.33 — small officer sales (Spainhour $313K) are moderate; the $XLU utility ETF bouncing at swing-low AVWAP and 1.382 Fib with SO as a top holding gives ETF-flow support if the sector reclaims $46.

The path if this works is the Oct 29 Q3 print delivering another clean beat plus concrete data-center-load commentary, taking the tape past $95. What breaks it further is a rate-cycle reversal that compresses utility multiples or a Georgia-regulatory disallowance on data-center capex recovery — the setup is durable but requires the AI-datacenter-load thesis to keep working.

Agrees with X sentimentThe X bulls have the setup right — Southern Co dividend payment day, $XLU utility ETF bouncing at swing-low AVWAP and 1.382 Fib with SO as top holding alongside NEE/DUK/CEG/AEP, hidden AI play framing, trading-thesis popularity — and mechanics support the coiled setup; the $46 XLU reclaim caution is a fair technical framework.

What to watch: Oct 29 Q3 print (sell-side EPS $1.65) — a clean beat plus concrete data-center-load commentary breaks the coil past $95; a rate-cycle reversal or a Georgia-regulatory disallowance on data-center capex recovery breaks the tape back to $80. $XLU reclaiming $46 is the leading indicator.

On the calendar: 2026-10-29 — Q3 earnings

X sentiment

What the X crowd is saying right now — descriptive, summarised from the day’s posts.

Bullish sentiment5 posts analyzed · as of 2026-06-12

Southern Company sentiment is bullish. Posters cite SO dividend payment day, the $XLU utility ETF bouncing at the swing-low AVWAP and 1.382 Fib (with SO as a top holding alongside NEE/DUK/CEG/AEP), and SO trading-thesis framework popularity. Some posters note that utility ETF bulls need to reclaim 46 to confirm follow-through.

Read the AI verdict + X sentiment for $SO

  • One-line verdict on what's driving the move — fundamentals, momentum, both, or an event
  • Next dated catalyst when there is one (earnings, deal closing, activist clock)
  • X crowd read with bullish/bearish call + post volume
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What it does

Plain-English summary of the business — what they sell and how they make money.

Large regulated electric utility serving Georgia and Alabama with nuclear generation (Vogtle) as a key long-term asset.

Industry overviewAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

Where Regulated Electric sits in its cycle right now — and what that implies for $SO.

Regulated Electric · Utilities

Rate base growth — driven by grid modernization and data center load additions — is the earnings engine for regulated utilities. Regulatory lag (rate cases vs actual capex) is the near-term cash flow timing risk.

What this means for $SO

Partial — upstream oil & gas exposure ties to commodity price cycle; The Southern Company operates as an energy utility, primaril.

Industry benchmark

23-name peer basket
+5.6%YTD
-0.9%1Y

Fundamentals & catalyst

Profitability, valuation, and the next earnings event — at a glance, with rule-of-thumb signals.

Key ratios

P/E
23.9How much investors are paying per dollar of profit the company actually earned in the last 12 months. Lower means the stock looks cheaper relative to earnings.~15–25 is typical for the S&P 500; high-growth names trade 30+; hyper-growth or speculative can be 100+ or negative.
ROIC
4.1%What percentage return the business earns on every dollar of capital (equity + debt) deployed in operations. The cleanest measure of business quality.Above ~15% is high-quality; consistently above 25% suggests a real moat. Below the company's cost of capital is value-destroying.
Op margin
24.1%Operating profit (after sales, marketing, R&D, and overhead but before interest and taxes) as a percentage of revenue. The clearest view of how well the underlying business is run.Mature business above 20% is healthy; software businesses can run 30%+; commodity / retail businesses operate in single digits.
FCF yield
-3.7%Free cash flow (operating cash flow minus capex) divided by the company's market cap. The cash-on-cash return you'd get owning the whole business at today's price.Above ~5% is attractive; below ~2% means you're paying up for growth. Capital-light businesses (software) run higher than capital-heavy ones (utilities).
P/S
3.5Same idea as P/E but per dollar of revenue. Useful for companies that aren't profitable yet, where P/E is meaningless.Under ~2 is cheap; software / SaaS often runs 8–15; well above 20 implies the market is pricing in very high future growth.
ROE
12.3%Net income as a percentage of shareholders' equity. Similar to ROIC but counts only the equity side.Above 20% is strong, but can be inflated by leverage — a heavily indebted company can show high ROE with weak underlying ROIC.
Gross margin
43.1%Revenue minus the direct cost of producing what was sold, as a percentage of revenue. The first read on whether the product is structurally profitable.Software / SaaS is typically 70%+; consumer goods 30–50%; commodity / hardware businesses can be under 20%.
D/E
2.0Total debt divided by shareholders' equity. Measures how much the business runs on borrowed money versus owner capital.Under 1 is conservative; 1–2 is typical for mature businesses; over 2 is leveraged and more sensitive to interest rates.

Past earnings

QuarterReportedActualEstimateSurprise
Q2 2026Jul 30, 2026$1.13$1.01+11.9%
Q1 2026Apr 30, 2026$1.32$1.21+9.1%
Q4 2025Feb 19, 2026$0.55$0.56-1.4%
Q3 2025Oct 30, 2025$1.60$1.51+6.0%
Next earningsThu, Oct 29·consensus EPS $1.65

Quarterly trend

QuarterRevenueYoYGrossOpEPSFCF
Q1 FY26$8.4B+8.0%46.5%24.0%$1.21$-1.7B
Q4 FY25$7.0B+10.1%18.8%13.0%$0.38$-1.9B
Q3 FY25$7.8B+7.5%55.0%33.2%$1.55$384.0M
Q2 FY25$7.0B+7.9%50.1%25.3%$0.80$-619.0M

Forward consensus

5-year forecast · up to 15 analysts
FYRevenueRangeEPSRangeAnalysts
FY26$30.8B$30.3B – $31.3B$4.58$4.54 – $4.6313
FY27$32.4B$31.7B – $33.1B$4.92$4.83 – $4.9614
FY28$34.4B$34.2B – $34.6B$5.37$5.19 – $5.4915
FY29$35.9B$34.9B – $36.8B$5.77$5.57 – $5.9611
FY30$38.0B$36.9B – $38.9B$6.19$5.97 – $6.397

Setup & momentum

Volume, range, and moving-average position — the technical setup driving short-term moves.

Right now

Vol vs 30dToday's traded share volume divided by the average over the prior 30 trading days. ≥3× signals unusual interest; below 1× is quiet.1.2×Today's traded share volume divided by the average over the prior 30 trading days. ≥3× signals unusual interest; below 1× is quiet.
52w rangeWhere the latest close sits between the 52-week low (0%) and high (100%). Above 80% is extended; below 30% is basing or in a downtrend.25%Where the latest close sits between the 52-week low (0%) and high (100%). Above 80% is extended; below 30% is basing or in a downtrend.
vs 50d MALatest close vs the 50-day simple moving average. Positive = short-term trend is up.-6.3%Latest close vs the 50-day simple moving average. Positive = short-term trend is up.
vs 200d MALatest close vs the 200-day simple moving average. Positive = long-term trend is up.-4.8%Latest close vs the 200-day simple moving average. Positive = long-term trend is up.

Float & profile

FloatMega float · 1.1B shFree-float shares — the slice of issued stock actually available to trade. Lower buckets squeeze harder on a catalyst.Traded today0.6% of floatToday's volume as a percent of the free float. Above 5% on a single day is unusually high turnover for the available share count.β0.335-year weekly beta vs the S&P 500. Above 1.5 means the stock typically moves more than the index; below 0.8 moves less.FilingActive offeringA shelf registration (S-3 / S-3ASR / S-1) or prospectus supplement (424B*) was filed in the last 90 days — the company is registered to (or actively) issuing new shares. Dilution risk.

Insider activity

Recent open-market buys and sells by officers and directors — flagged when multiple insiders cluster.

Recent transactions

SellAug 6Sterling A SpainhourEVP & CLO3.3K sh$313KSellAug 3Matthew M. KimComptroller100 sh$9KSellJul 1Matthew M. KimComptroller100 sh$10KSellJun 1Matthew M. KimComptroller100 sh$9KSellMay 1Matthew M. KimComptroller100 sh$10KSellMar 30Kimberly S, GreeneCEO25.0K sh$2.4MSellMar 19Christopher CummiskeyEVP6.7K sh$644KSellMar 18Stan W ConnallyCOO12.5K sh$1.2M
+ 33 other (24 awards · 4 exempts · 4 inkinds · 1 discretionary) in window

See when $SO insiders are putting their own money in

  • Real-time open-market buys and sells from Form 4 filings
  • Cluster-buy detection when multiple insiders pile in at once
  • 30 / 60 / 180-day windows so you can spot building conviction
Free, forever. No credit card.

SEC filings

Material 8-K, 13D, S-3, and 424B5 events from the last 180 days — the filings that actually move the price.

Recent material filings

8-KUnregistered equity saleAug 68-K — Item 2.03: Material debt obligation · Item 3.02: Unregistered equity sale
AI summary

Southern Company (SO) issued $2.731 billion in convertible senior notes on August 6, 2026: $833,750,000 of 2.125% Convertible Senior Notes (Series 2026A) due December 15, 2027, and $1,897,500,000 of 3.50% Convertible Senior Notes (Series 2026B) due September 15, 2029. These low-coupon convertible notes provide Southern Company with structured financing while offering investors equity upside through conversion features.

S-3ASRAuto-shelf registrationJun 5S-3ASR
AI summary

The Southern Company (SO) filed an automatic shelf registration statement (S-3ASR) with the SEC. The registration establishes a shelf to offer common stock, preferred stock, debt securities from time to time. As an S-3ASR (automatic shelf), this registration is immediately effective upon filing — a privilege reserved for well-known seasoned issuers (WKSIs) with large public floats. The shelf registration does not commit the company to any specific offering but provides flexible capital markets access for future transactions.

8-KShareholder voteMay 158-K — Item 5.07: Shareholder vote
AI summary

SO held its Annual Meeting of stockholders around 2026-05-15 (8-K Item 5.07). Stockholders elected 5 directors to the board. Routine governance event — monitor for unusually high withhold votes as an activist signal.

424B5Prospectus supplement (offering)Mar 16424B5
+ 19 other (4 routine 8-Ks · 4 13Gs · 3 proxys · 2 earnings 8-Ks) in window

Recent news

Latest headlines from major outlets, sourced and timestamped — context for whatever just moved.

Forget XLU: These 3 Utility Dividend Stocks Offer More Exposure to AI247wallst.com·14h agoSouthern (NYSE:SO) versus Emera (OTCMKTS:EMRAF) Head to Head Analysisdefenseworld.net·1d agoI'd Rather Bet on AI's Electric Bill Than Its Chips. Here's Why.fool.com·3d agoBeacon Pointe Advisors LLC Acquires New Position in Southern Company (The) $SOdefenseworld.net·3d agoSouthern's Unit Wins Regulatory Approval for OpenAI Power Dealzacks.com·4d ago

In themes

Explore the broader themes this ticker is being talked about under.

Nuclear RenaissanceThe Power Grid

More in Regulated Electric

Peers in the same group — one click to compare setups, fundamentals, and chatter.

$ES$FRMI$NEE$XEL$AEP$D$PCG$DUK
Voices on X · last 7 days

No standout posts about $SO on X in the last 7 days.

TickerTalks is a research tool, not financial advice. We surface social-attention data; we do not make stock recommendations. Past attention is not predictive of future price movements.

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