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In the latest trading session, Southern Co. (SO) closed at $79.86, marking a +1.81% move from the previous day. The stock outperformed the S&P 500, which registered a daily loss of 0.88%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a gain of 0.08%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq decreased by 1.95%.

Prior to today's trading, shares of the power company had 0% over the past month. This has was narrower than the Utilities sector's loss of 4.05% and lagged the S&P 500's gain of 5.11% in that time.

The upcoming earnings release of Southern Co. will be of great interest to investors. The company's earnings report is expected on August 1, 2024. The company is predicted to post an EPS of $0.90, indicating a 13.92% growth compared to the equivalent quarter last year. Alongside, our most recent consensus estimate is anticipating revenue of $6.26 billion, indicating an 8.88% upward movement from the same quarter last year.

For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $4 per share and revenue of $26.7 billion, which would represent changes of +9.59% and +5.73%, respectively, from the prior year.

It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for Southern Co. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. As a result, upbeat changes in estimates indicate analysts' favorable outlook on the company's business health and profitability.

Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. To capitalize on this, we've crafted the Zacks Rank, a unique model that incorporates these estimate changes and offers a practical 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 0.1% increase. Currently, Southern Co. is carrying a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Valuation is also important, so investors should note that Southern Co. has a Forward P/E ratio of 19.62 right now. This expresses a premium compared to the average Forward P/E of 15.56 of its industry.

It's also important to note that SO currently trades at a PEG ratio of 2.82. 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. As of the close of trade yesterday, the Utility - Electric Power industry held an average PEG ratio of 2.53.

The Utility - Electric Power industry is part of the Utilities sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 96, putting it in the top 39% 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.

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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.