Southern Company increases dividend for 23rd consecutive year; annualized rate rises to $2.88 per share
ATLANTA, April 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern Company today announced it is increasing its dividend by 8 cents per share on an annualized basis to a rate of $2.88 per share.
This marks the 76th consecutive year that Southern Company has paid a dividend on its common stock that is equal to or greater than the previous quarter. Additionally, this is the 23rd consecutive year the company has raised its dividend.
Southern Company also announced a regular quarterly dividend – including an increase of 2 cents per share over the prior quarter – of 72 cents per share, payable June 6, 2024 to shareholders of record as of May 20, 2024.
"Across the Southern Company enterprise, thousands of dedicated employees work tirelessly each day to provide customers with clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy solutions that make their lives better," said Southern Company Chairman, President and CEO Christoper C. Womack. "Today's action by the Southern Company board reinforces our time-honored shareholder value proposition of providing regular, predictable and sustainable dividend growth supported by our premier state-regulated utilities and energy infrastructure under long-term contracts."
About Southern Company
Southern Company (NYSE:SO) is a leading energy provider serving 9 million customers across the Southeast and beyond through its family of companies. Providing clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy with excellent service is our mission. The company has electric operating companies in three states, natural gas distribution companies in four states, a competitive generation company, a leading distributed energy distribution company with national capabilities, a fiber optics network and telecommunications services. Through an industry-leading commitment to innovation, resilience and sustainability, we are taking action to meet customers' and communities' needs while advancing our goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Our uncompromising values ensure we put the needs of those we serve at the center of everything we do and are the key to our sustained success. We are transforming energy into economic, environmental and social progress for tomorrow. Our corporate culture and hiring practices have earned the company national awards and recognition from numerous organizations, including Forbes, The Military Times, DiversityInc, Black Enterprise, J.D. Power, Fortune, Human Rights Campaign and more. To learn more, visit www.southerncompany.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain information contained in this release is forward-looking information based on current expectations and plans that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking information includes, among other things, statements concerning dividend growth. Southern Company cautions that there are certain factors that can cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information that has been provided. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which is not a guarantee of future performance and is subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the control of Southern Company; accordingly, there can be no assurance that such suggested results will be realized. The following factors, in addition to those discussed in Southern Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, and subsequent securities filings, could cause actual results to differ materially from management expectations as suggested by such forward-looking information: the impact of recent and future federal and state regulatory changes, including tax, environmental and other laws and regulations to which Southern Company and its subsidiaries are subject, as well as changes in application of existing laws and regulations; the extent and timing of costs and legal requirements related to coal combustion residuals; current and future litigation or regulatory investigations, proceedings, or inquiries, including litigation and other disputes related to the Kemper County energy facility and Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4; the effects, extent, and timing of the entry of additional competition in the markets in which Southern Company's subsidiaries operate, including from the development and deployment of alternative energy sources; variations in demand for electricity and natural gas; available sources and costs of natural gas and other fuels and commodities; the ability to complete necessary or desirable pipeline expansion or infrastructure projects, limits on pipeline capacity, public and policymaker support for such projects, and operational interruptions to natural gas distribution and transmission activities; transmission constraints; the ability to control costs and avoid cost and schedule overruns during the development, construction, and operation of facilities or other projects, including Plant Vogtle Unit 4 (which includes components based on new technology that only within the last several years began initial operation in the global nuclear industry at this scale), due to current and/or future challenges which include, but are not limited to, changes in labor costs, availability, and productivity; challenges with the management of contractors or vendors; subcontractor performance; adverse weather conditions; shortages, delays, increased costs, or inconsistent quality of equipment, materials, and labor; contractor or supplier delay; the impacts of inflation; delays due to judicial or regulatory action; nonperformance under construction, operating, or other agreements; operational readiness, including specialized operator training and required site safety programs; engineering or design problems or any remediation related thereto; design and other licensing-based compliance matters; challenges with start-up activities, including major equipment failure, or system integration; and/or operational performance; challenges related to pandemic health events; continued public and policymaker support for projects; environmental and geological conditions; delays or increased costs to interconnect facilities to transmission grids; and increased financing costs as a result of changes in interest rates or as a result of project delays; the ability to overcome or mitigate the current challenges, or challenges yet to be identified, at Plant Vogtle Unit 4 that could further impact the cost and schedule for the project; legal proceedings and regulatory approvals and actions related to past and ongoing construction projects, including Public Service Commission approvals and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission actions; under certain specified circumstances, a decision by holders of more than 10% of the ownership interests of Plant Vogtle Unit 4 not to proceed with construction; in the event Georgia Power Company ("Georgia Power") becomes obligated to provide funding to Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia ("MEAG Power") with respect to the portion of MEAG Power's ownership interest in Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 involving Jacksonville Electric Authority, any inability of Georgia Power to receive repayment of such funding; the ability to construct facilities in accordance with the requirements of permits and licenses (including satisfaction of U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission requirements), to satisfy any environmental performance standards and the requirements of tax credits and other incentives, and to integrate facilities into the Southern Company system upon completion of construction; investment performance of the employee and retiree benefit plans and nuclear decommissioning trust funds; advances in technology, including the pace and extent of development of low- to no-carbon energy and battery energy storage technologies and negative carbon concepts; performance of counterparties under ongoing renewable energy partnerships and development agreements; state and federal rate regulations and the impact of pending and future rate cases and negotiations, including rate actions relating to return on equity, equity ratios, additional generating capacity and fuel and other cost recovery mechanisms; the ability to successfully operate the electric utilities' generation, transmission, and distribution facilities, Southern Power Company's generation facilities, and Southern Company Gas' natural gas distribution and storage facilities and the successful performance of necessary corporate functions; the inherent risks involved in operating and constructing nuclear generating facilities; the inherent risks involved in transporting and storing natural gas; the performance of projects undertaken by the non-utility businesses and the success of efforts to invest in and develop new opportunities; internal restructuring or other restructuring options that may be pursued; potential business strategies, including acquisitions or dispositions of assets or businesses, which cannot be assured to be completed or beneficial to Southern Company or its subsidiaries; the ability of counterparties of Southern Company and its subsidiaries to make payments as and when due and to perform as required; the ability to obtain new short- and long-term contracts with wholesale customers; the direct or indirect effect on the Southern Company system's business resulting from cyber intrusion or physical attack and the threat of cyber and physical attacks; global and U.S. economic conditions, including impacts from geopolitical conflicts, recession, inflation, interest rate fluctuations, and financial market conditions, and the results of financing efforts; access to capital markets and other financing sources; changes in Southern Company's and any of its subsidiaries' credit ratings; the ability of Southern Company's electric utilities to obtain additional generating capacity (or sell excess generating capacity) at competitive prices; catastrophic events such as fires, earthquakes, explosions, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and other storms, droughts, pandemic health events, political unrest, wars, or other similar occurrences; the direct or indirect effects on the Southern Company system's business resulting from incidents affecting the U.S. electric grid, natural gas pipeline infrastructure or operation of generating or storage resources; impairments of goodwill or long-lived assets; and the effect of accounting pronouncements issued periodically by standard-setting bodies. Southern Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking information.
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