Southern Company Stock: Analyst Estimates & Ratings

Core Viewpoint - The Southern Company (SO) has shown mixed performance in the market, with recent quarterly results exceeding expectations, but overall underperformance compared to broader indices and sector ETFs [2][5][6]. Financial Performance - The Southern Company reported total operating revenue of $7.8 billion for Q3, marking a 7.5% year-over-year increase and exceeding consensus estimates by 3.7% [5]. - Adjusted EPS for the same period rose 11.9% year-over-year to $1.60, surpassing analyst estimates by 6.7% [5]. - For the current fiscal year ending in December, analysts project SO's EPS to grow 5.9% year-over-year to $4.29 [6]. Market Comparison - Over the past 52 weeks, SO shares have gained 5.1%, while the S&P 500 Index has increased by 15.5% [2]. - SO has also underperformed compared to the State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU), which rose 9.5% in the same timeframe [3]. Analyst Ratings and Price Targets - Among 24 analysts covering SO, the consensus rating is a "Hold," with five "Strong Buy," one "Moderate Buy," 15 "Hold," and three "Strong Sell" ratings [6]. - RBC Capital analyst Stephen D'Ambrisi maintained a "Sector Perform" rating and raised the price target to $105, indicating a potential upside of 19.1% from current levels [7]. - The mean price target of $96.78 suggests a 9.7% premium from SO's current price, while the highest target of $108 indicates a potential upside of 22.5% [7].