Southern Company (SO) Maintains Stability Amid Shifting Landscape

The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) is one of the best infrastructure stocks to buy right now. On January 28, The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) declared a quarterly dividend of $0.74 per share on its common stock. Payment is scheduled for March 6, this year, to shareholders of record on February 17.

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This announcement continues 78 consecutive years of quarterly dividends equal to or greater than the prior quarter. The 74 cents-per-share payment was first declared in April 2025, marking the 24th consecutive annual increase. At the time, CEO Christopher Womack cited employee dedication and predictable growth from state-regulated utilities and long-term contracts as the main reason for the increase.

In a different update, on January 20, Wells Fargo analyst Shahriar Pourreza downgraded Southern’s shares from Equal Weight to Underweight and slashed the price target to $84 from $97.

Pourreza tied the shift to heightened political volatility in Georgia, following November elections that saw Democrats take two Republican-held seats on the state Public Service Commission. He insisted the decision is not a reflection of management’s ability to execute, and described the leadership as one of the best in the industry.

Pourreza recognized Southern’s robust and diverse load growth pipeline in the South East (primarily in Georgia), which is driven by DC’s and industrial manufacturing. That said, Pourreza cautioned that the 2026 election cycle stands to generate more noise and uncertainty for the regulatory construct in Georgia.

The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) is an Atlanta, Georgia-based energy utility that provides electricity to 9 million customers through its subsidiaries across the Southeast. The company operates a diverse portfolio of generation assets, including natural gas, coal, nuclear, and renewable facilities.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.