Southern Company: ROIC, Electricity Pricing, EV/EBITDA All Agree; Buy

George Fisher 5.68K Followers Follow Summary Southern Company remains a core long-term utility holding, benefiting from favorable regulatory environments and disciplined management performance. SO offers a 3.4% yield, 24 years of dividend increases, and is positioned for higher dividend growth as Vogtle project headwinds abate. SO's TTM ROIC leads peers, with stock valuation among the sector's lowest and 3–5 year EPS growth expected at 6–8%. Key risks include rising interest rates and political focus on electricity affordability, but SO's pricing and regulatory positioning mitigate long-term threats. Getty Images The utility sector is very different from many other sectors. Profits are regulated; it is capital intensive; overall demand is growing, albeit slowly; and stock valuations are impacted by competitive bond yields and inflation rates. The most recent addition to the sector’s contrast This article was written by George Fisher 5.68K Followers Follow I am the author of Guiding Mast Investments monthly newsletter, focused on timely dividend paying stocks. Our mission at Guiding Mast Investments is to help investors keep a steady pace of wealth accumulation as they navigate through their financial voyage. I have been a Registered Investment Advisor, financial author, and entrepreneur. I bring a variety of expertise to my clients, from personal investment planning and management to stock market analysis skills. I am the creator of the late 1990s investment newsletter Power Investing with DRIPs focused on timely selections of dividend paying stocks. I have also published two books through McGraw Hill, All About DRIPs and DSPs (2001), and The StreetSmart Guide to Overlooked Stocks (2002). My work experience covers a variety of fields.Prior to being a RIA, I spent 15 years as a corporate manager at Georgia-Pacific Corp before venturing out on my own, operating several businesses from manufacturing to export marketing management. President Ronald Reagan appointed me to the National Advisory Council overseeing the Small Business Administration from 1988 to 1991. Now comes the obligatory disclaimers: The opinions and any recommendations expressed in this commentary are those of the author . None of the information or opinions expressed in this article constitutes a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security or other instrument. Nothing in this commentary constitutes investment advice and any recommendations that may be contained herein have not been based upon a consideration of the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any specific recipient. Any purchase or sale activity in any securities or other instrument should be based upon your own analysis and conclusions. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The information contained in this report does not purport to be a complete description of the securities market, or developments referred to in this material. The information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but we do not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. Any information is not a complete summary or statement of all available data necessary for making an investment decision and does not constitute a recommendation. Expressions of opinion are as of this date and subject to change without notice. Either Mr. Fisher or his employer, if any, may hold or control long or short positions in the securities or instruments mentioned. Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of BRK.B, DUK, EMA, NEE, SO either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.