Southern Co. (SO) Lags Q4 Earnings Estimates

Core Viewpoint - Southern Co. reported quarterly earnings of $0.50 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of$0.51 per share, and down from $0.64 per share a year ago, indicating an earnings surprise of -1.96$6.34 billion for the quarter, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.96% and up from $6.05 billion year-over-year [2] Financial Performance - Over the last four quarters, Southern Co. has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times [2] - The company has also topped consensus revenue estimates three times in the last four quarters [2] - The current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is$1.11 on revenues of $6.91 billion, and for the current fiscal year, it is$4.31 on revenues of $27.4 billion [7] Stock Performance - Southern Co. shares have increased approximately 5.1% since the beginning of the year, compared to a 4.5% gain in the S&P 500 [3] - The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold), indicating expected performance in line with the market in the near future [6] Industry Outlook - The Utility - Electric Power industry is currently ranked in the bottom 46% of over 250 Zacks industries, suggesting potential challenges ahead [8] - Empirical research indicates a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions, which could impact Southern Co.'s stock performance [5]