At their meeting today, the directors of Southern Company declared a regular quarterly dividend of 32½ cents a share on the company’s common stock, payable June 6 to stockholders of record May 5.

This marks the 198th consecutive quarter — dating back to 1948 — that Southern Company will have paid a dividend to its common shareholders.

Southern Company (NYSE: SO), the largest producer of electricity in the United States, is the parent firm of Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power, Mississippi Power and Savannah Electric. Based in Atlanta, Southern Company supplies electricity in eight countries on four continents and provides energy-related marketing, trading and technical services and wireless telecommunications. Southern Company’s common stock is one of the 20 most widely held corporate stocks in America.