Southern Company ranked No. 1 in industry on FORTUNE's 2026 World's Most Admired Companies list
ATLANTA, Jan. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern Company has been named to FORTUNE's list of the World's Most Admired Companies for 2026, earning the No. 1 spot in the electric and gas utilities industry. The company was recognized for its financial soundness, long-term investment value and commitment to the communities it serves.
"Southern Company is a great company, and this recognition belongs to our 28,000 teammates who show up every day with purpose and a deep commitment to serving our customers," said Chris Womack, chairman, president and CEO. "Their dedication is the engine behind our work. It's how we keep earning trust, strengthening our communities and delivering the energy our customers depend on. As we look ahead, we remain focused on serving this incredible growth we're seeing in a way that benefits all customers and communities while leading the way to a stronger, more resilient energy future."
The company has a longstanding history of industry-leading innovation, resilience and a deep commitment to the people and communities it serves. Key highlights of the company include:
- Strengthening service and infrastructure through historic investment: With more than $80 billion in investments planned through the end of the decade, Southern Company is modernizing and reinforcing its electric and gas networks to enhance reliability and resilience—with a goal of providing a strong, flexible energy foundation for future economic growth. The company expects to double the investment it has on the ground today over the next five years.
- Serving growing demand and delivering value for customers: In a period with some of the most significant projected growth in its history, Southern Company is focused on doing what the energy industry was built to do—support economic prosperity and serve extraordinary growth. The company is meeting increasing energy needs while continuing to deliver strong value to customers. In the jurisdictions it serves, projected growth has allowed its operating companies to keep base rates stable for customers, helping to keep costs down for the families and businesses it serves. Southern Company is positioned to continue leading the way.
- Disciplined financial management: Southern Company continues to deliver consistent value for investors, having paid a dividend equal to or greater than the previous quarter for 78 consecutive years. This track record underscores the company's disciplined financial management and long‑standing commitment to stable, dependable performance.
FORTUNE's World's Most Admired Companies list is widely regarded as the definitive benchmark on corporate reputation. Since 1997, the rankings have highlighted the business practices and leadership qualities that distinguish the most respected companies around the globe. The rankings are based on an extensive evaluation of nine key attributes, including innovation, people management, use of corporate assets, social responsibility, quality of management, financial soundness, long-term investment, quality of products and services, and global competitiveness.
Southern Company's inclusion on the 2026 World's Most Admired Companies list builds on the company's recent recognitions as the No. 1 Employer in the US on 2025 Military Times Best for Vets: Employers List and the highest-ranked U.S. energy company on Newsweek's World's Most Trustworthy Companies 2025 list. Further details regarding recent accolades collected by the company can be found on the Southern Company website.
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. The company has electric operating companies in three states, natural gas distribution companies in four states, a competitive generation company, a leading distributed energy solutions provider with national capabilities, a fiber optics network and telecommunications services. 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, driven by 28,000 employees dedicated to delivering exceptional service. To learn more, visit www.southerncompany.com.
Southern Company is a holding company that conducts its business through its subsidiaries; accordingly, references in this release to Southern Company's operations, such as serving customers and employment practices, refer to those operations conducted through its subsidiaries.
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 projected electric demand growth and capital expenditures. 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, 2024, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2025, June 30, 2025, and September 30, 2025 and subsequent securities filings, could cause actual results to differ materially from management expectations as suggested by such forward-looking information: 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 control costs and avoid cost and schedule overruns during the development, construction, and operation of facilities or other projects; legal proceedings and regulatory approvals and actions related to past, ongoing, and proposed construction projects, including state public service commission or other applicable state regulatory agency approvals and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission actions; the ability to construct facilities in accordance with the requirements of permits and licenses, 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; state and federal rate regulations and the impact of pending and future rate cases and negotiations, including rate actions relating to additional generating capacity; the inherent risks involved in generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity and transportation and storage of natural gas, including accidents, explosions, fires, mechanical problems, discharges or releases of toxic or hazardous substances or gases, and other environmental risks; global and U.S. economic conditions, including impacts from geopolitical conflicts, recession, inflation, changes in trade policies (including tariffs and other trade measures) of the United States and other countries, 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; and catastrophic events such as fires, earthquakes, explosions, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and other storms, droughts, pandemic health events, political unrest, wars, or other similar occurrences. Southern Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking information.
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/southern-company-ranked-no-1-in-industry-on-fortunes-2026-worlds-most-admired-companies-list-302666964.html
SOURCE Southern Company