In the latest trading session, Southern Co. (SO) closed at $93.51, marking a -1.06% move from the previous day. The stock fell short of the S&P 500, which registered a loss of 0.24% for the day. At the same time, the Dow lost 0.01%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.26%.
The power company's stock has climbed by 1.2% in the past month, exceeding the Utilities sector's loss of 0.18% and lagging the S&P 500's gain of 6.42%.
Investors will be eagerly watching for the performance of Southern Co. in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's earnings report is set to be unveiled on April 30, 2026. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $1.22, reflecting a 0.81% decrease from the same quarter last year. At the same time, our most recent consensus estimate is projecting a revenue of $8.11 billion, reflecting a 4.33% rise from the equivalent quarter last year.
For the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $4.59 per share and a revenue of $30.63 billion, representing changes of +6.74% and +3.66%, respectively, from the prior year.
Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Southern Co. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the business and profitability.
Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. To exploit this, we've formed the Zacks Rank, a quantitative model that includes these estimate changes and presents a viable rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, which varies between #1 (Strong Buy) and #5 (Strong Sell), carries an impressive track record of exceeding expectations, confirmed by external audits, with stocks at #1 delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 0.06% higher. Southern Co. is holding a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now.
Digging into valuation, Southern Co. currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 20.61. This represents a premium compared to its industry average Forward P/E of 18.75.
Also, we should mention that SO has a PEG ratio of 2.85. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. By the end of yesterday's trading, the Utility - Electric Power industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.75.
The Utility - Electric Power industry is part of the Utilities sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 75, putting it in the top 31% of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the vigor of our specific industry groups by computing the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks incorporated in the groups. 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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Southern Company (The) (SO): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).