Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, electric utility giant The Southern Company
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Southern's business and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.
Southern facts
| Headquarters (founded) | Atlanta (1945) |
| Market Cap | $39.4 billion |
| Industry | Electric utilities |
| Trailing-12-Month Revenue | $16.9 billion |
| Management | Chairman/CEO Thomas Fanning CFO Art Beattie |
| Return on Equity (average, past 3 years) | 12% |
| Cash/Debt | $665.0 million / $22.0 billion |
| Dividend Yield | 4.4% |
| Competitors |
CenterPoint Energy Entergy NextEra Energy |
Sources: S&P Capital IQ and Motley Fool CAPS.
On CAPS, 95% of the 1,084 members who have rated Southern believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.
Just last week, one of those bulls, skwimmer77, tapped Southern as a particularly solid pick:
[Southern] historically provides stability in depressed markets and recovers more quickly than most on emerging from depressed markets. [Southern] is making the change to natural gas fired plants as a replacement for coal energy. It's cheaper, simpler to permit and operate, and less polluting. Other utilities are going this direction; [Southern] is simply in the lead.
If you want market-beating returns, you need to put together the best portfolio you can. Owning exceptional stocks is a surefire way to secure your financial future. Of course, despite a strong four-star rating, Southern may not be your top choice.
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Want to see how well (or not so well) the stocks in this series are performing? Follow the TrackPoisedTo CAPS account.
