Southern Co. (SO) Stock Moves -0.42%: What You Should Know
Southern Co. (SO) closed at $69.09 in the latest trading session, marking a -0.42% move from the prior day. The stock's performance was ahead of the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.65%. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 0.49%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 0.96%.
Heading into today, shares of the power company had gained 3.82% over the past month, outpacing the Utilities sector's gain of 3.63% and the S&P 500's gain of 3.27% in that time.
Investors will be eagerly watching for the performance of Southern Co. in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company is expected to report EPS of $0.90, up 13.92% from the prior-year quarter. In the meantime, our current consensus estimate forecasts the revenue to be $7.01 billion, indicating an 8.2% growth compared to the corresponding quarter of the prior year.
In terms of the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates predict earnings of $4.01 per share and a revenue of $27.93 billion, indicating changes of +9.86% and +10.6%, respectively, from the former year.
Furthermore, it would be beneficial for investors to monitor any recent shifts in analyst projections for Southern Co. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the company's business performance and profit potential.
Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, running from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), holds an admirable track record of superior performance, independently audited, with #1 stocks contributing an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.03% higher. Southern Co. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
Digging into valuation, Southern Co. currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 17.32. This valuation marks a premium compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 14.65.
Investors should also note that SO has a PEG ratio of 4.33 right now. The PEG ratio bears resemblance to the frequently used P/E ratio, but this parameter also includes the company's expected earnings growth trajectory. SO's industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.45 as of yesterday's close.
The Utility - Electric Power industry is part of the Utilities sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 179, which puts it in the bottom 29% of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank evaluates the power of our distinct industry groups by determining the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks forming the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Southern Company (The) (SO) : Free Stock Analysis Report
