ATLANTA, Oct. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern Company today announced a regular quarterly dividend of 47.25 cents per share on the company's common stock, payable Dec. 6, 2011, to shareholders of record Nov. 7, 2011.  This marks 256 consecutive quarters – dating back to 1948 – that Southern Company will have paid a dividend to its shareholders.

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 is the parent firm of electric utilities in four states and a growing competitive generation company, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications companies. 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.

SOURCE Southern Company