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Southern Co. (SO) Stock Drops Despite Market Gains: Important Facts to Note

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Southern Co. (SO - Free Report) closed the latest trading day at $88.86, indicating a -0.17% change from the previous session's end. The stock's performance was behind the S&P 500's daily gain of 1.7%. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 1.26%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 2.51%.

Shares of the power company have appreciated by 1.64% over the course of the past month, underperforming the Utilities sector's gain of 4.97% and outperforming the S&P 500's gain of 1.27%.

The investment community will be closely monitoring the performance of Southern Co. in its forthcoming earnings report. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $1.31, reflecting a 7.75% decrease from the same quarter last year. Meanwhile, the latest consensus estimate predicts the revenue to be $7.2 billion, indicating a 3.11% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

SO's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $4.01 per share and revenue of $26.52 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of +9.86% and +5%, respectively.

Furthermore, it would be beneficial for investors to monitor any recent shifts in analyst projections for Southern Co. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.

Our research demonstrates that these adjustments in estimates directly associate with imminent stock price performance. To take advantage of this, we've established the Zacks Rank, an exclusive model that considers these estimated changes and delivers an operational 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. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.07% higher within the past month. Southern Co. is holding a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now.

In terms of valuation, Southern Co. is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 22.18. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 17.6, which means Southern Co. is trading at a premium to the group.

It is also worth noting that SO currently has a PEG ratio of 3.19. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. Utility - Electric Power stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 2.79 based on yesterday's closing prices.

The Utility - Electric Power industry is part of the Utilities sector. Currently, this industry holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 42, positioning it in the top 17% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank is ordered from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Remember to apply Zacks.com to follow these and more stock-moving metrics during the upcoming trading sessions.


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