Here's Why Southern Co. (SO) is a Strong Growth Stock

Core Insights - Zacks Premium provides various tools for investors to enhance their stock market strategies and confidence [1] - The Zacks Style Scores are designed to help investors identify stocks with the highest potential to outperform the market in the short term [2] Zacks Style Scores Overview - The Style Scores consist of four categories: Value Score, Growth Score, Momentum Score, and VGM Score, each focusing on different investment strategies [3][4][5][6] - Value Score emphasizes identifying undervalued stocks using financial ratios [3] - Growth Score focuses on a company's future earnings potential and financial health [4] - Momentum Score identifies trends in stock prices and earnings estimates to optimize entry points [5] - VGM Score combines all three styles to provide a comprehensive assessment of stocks [6] Zacks Rank and Performance - The Zacks Rank is a proprietary model that uses earnings estimate revisions to assist in portfolio building [7] - Stocks rated 1 (Strong Buy) have historically achieved an average annual return of +23.93% since 1988, significantly outperforming the S&P 500 [8] Stock Selection Strategy - Investors are encouraged to select stocks with a Zacks Rank of 1 or 2 and Style Scores of A or B for optimal success [10] - The direction of earnings estimate revisions is crucial; stocks with lower ranks but high Style Scores may still face downward price pressure [11] Company Spotlight: Southern Company - Southern Company, a major utility provider in the U.S., serves approximately nine million customers and has a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold) with a VGM Score of B [12] - The company is positioned as a potential growth investment, with a Growth Style Score of B and a forecasted year-over-year earnings growth of 5.7% for the current fiscal year [13] - Recent upward revisions in earnings estimates and a solid earnings surprise average of +3% further enhance its attractiveness to investors [13]