Southern Co. (SO) Rises Yet Lags Behind Market: Some Facts Worth Knowing

In the latest market close, Southern Co. (SO) reached $82.32, with a +0.3% movement compared to the previous day. The stock lagged the S&P 500's daily gain of 1.26%. Elsewhere, the Dow gained 0.8%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq added 1.77%.Coming into today, shares of the power company had lost 4.78% in the past month. In that same time, the Utilities sector lost 5.67%, while the S&P 500 lost 2.82%.The investment community will be closely monitoring the performance of Southern Co. in its forthcoming earnings report. In that report, analysts expect Southern Co. to post earnings of $0.52 per share. This would mark a year-over-year decline of 18.75%. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $6.21 billion, up 2.66% from the year-ago period.Investors should also pay attention to any latest changes in analyst estimates for Southern Co. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the company's business and profitability.Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. 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, spanning from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), boasts an impressive track record of outperformance, audited externally, with #1 ranked stocks yielding an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has witnessed a 0.5% increase. Right now, Southern Co. possesses a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).In the context of valuation, Southern Co. is at present trading with a Forward P/E ratio of 18.99. This indicates a premium in contrast to its industry's Forward P/E of 16.08.Meanwhile, SO's PEG ratio is currently 2.79. 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. The Utility - Electric Power industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.51 as trading concluded yesterday.The Utility - Electric Power industry is part of the Utilities sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 87, this industry ranks in the top 35% of all industries, numbering over 250.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.Research Chief Names "Single Best Pick to Double"From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all.This company targets millennial and Gen Z audiences, generating nearly $1 billion in revenue last quarter alone. A recent pullback makes now an ideal time to jump aboard. Of course, all our elite picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months.Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpWant 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 ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks