Southern Company (SO)

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Southern Company raises dividend rate 10th straight year; annual rate goes to $1.89 per share
April 18, 2011

ATLANTA - Southern Company said today it is increasing its annual dividend rate by 7 cents per share to $1.89 per share.


The 3.9 percent increase marks the 10th straight year that Southern Company has raised the dividend on its common stock.

Southern Company also announced today a regular quarterly dividend - including an increase of 1.75 cents per share on a quarterly basis - of 47.25 cents per share, payable June 6, 2011, to shareholders of record as of May 2, 2011. This marks 254 consecutive quarters - dating back to 1948 - that Southern Company will have paid a dividend to its shareholders.

"Southern Company's commitment to customer satisfaction and constructive regulatory relationships has fueled our long history of regular, predictable and sustainable earnings growth," said Thomas A. Fanning, chairman, president and CEO. "Our business should continue to benefit from that environment, particularly in terms of our ability to access the capital we need."

With 4.4 million customers and more than 42,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier energy company serving the Southeast. A leading U.S. producer of electricity, Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states and a growing competitive generation company, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are below the national average. Southern Company was named the World's Most Admired Electric and Gas Utility by Fortune magazine in 2011, and is consistently listed among the top U.S. electric service providers in customer satisfaction by the American Customer Satisfaction Index. Visit our website at www.southerncompany.com.