Southern Co. (SO) Stock Falls Amid Market Uptick: What Investors Need to Know

Southern Co. (SO) ended the recent trading session at $83.20, demonstrating a -0.92% swing from the preceding day's closing price. The stock fell short of the S&P 500, which registered a gain of 0.72% for the day. At the same time, the Dow added 0.3%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 1.35%.The power company's shares have seen an increase of 3.72% over the last month, surpassing the Utilities sector's gain of 0.66% and the S&P 500's gain of 1.02%.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 February 20, 2025. On that day, Southern Co. is projected to report earnings of $0.51 per share, which would represent a year-over-year decline of 20.31%. Meanwhile, the latest consensus estimate predicts the revenue to be $6.27 billion, indicating a 3.78% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year.Additionally, investors should keep an eye on any recent revisions to analyst forecasts for Southern Co. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the company's 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, 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 0.27% decrease. Southern Co. is holding a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now.With respect to valuation, Southern Co. is currently being traded at a Forward P/E ratio of 19.48. This signifies a premium in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 16.97 for its industry.It is also worth noting that SO currently has a PEG ratio of 2.87. 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. The average PEG ratio for the Utility - Electric Power industry stood at 2.56 at the close of the market yesterday.The Utility - Electric Power industry is part of the Utilities sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 142, putting it in the bottom 44% 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.Make sure to utilize Zacks.com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions.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