3 Top Vanguard ETFs to Buy With the S&P 500 in Correction
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Apr 01 2025
0mins
Should l Buy SO?
Source: NASDAQ.COM
Vanguard ETFs to Consider: Despite the S&P 500's decline, investors can consider several Vanguard ETFs, including the Vanguard Long-Term Treasury ETF for its safety and yield, the Vanguard Utilities ETF for its resilience and growth potential, and the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF as a long-term investment opportunity.
Market Insights: The Vanguard Long-Term Treasury ETF offers a low-cost way to invest in U.S. Treasuries, while the Vanguard Utilities ETF benefits from demand driven by AI adoption, and the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF represents a bet on the recovery of major U.S. companies.
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Analyst Views on SO
Wall Street analysts forecast SO stock price to fall
17 Analyst Rating
4 Buy
11 Hold
2 Sell
Hold
Current: 95.990
Low
45.00
Averages
92.34
High
109.00
Current: 95.990
Low
45.00
Averages
92.34
High
109.00
About SO
The Southern Company is an energy provider. The Company owns three traditional electric operating companies, Southern Power Company and Southern Company Gas. The traditional electric operating companies-Alabama Power, Georgia Power and Mississippi Power-are operating public utility companies providing electric service to retail customers in three Southeastern states in addition to wholesale customers in the Southeast. The Southern Power Company develops, constructs, acquires, owns, and manages power generation assets, including battery energy storage projects, and sells electricity at market-based rates in the wholesale market. The Southern Company Gas is an energy services holding company whose primary business is the distribution of natural gas in four states - Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee, through the natural gas distribution utilities. Southern Company Gas is also involved in several other businesses that are complementary to the distribution of natural gas.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Reliable Passive Income Sources: EPD and SO
- Stability of Enterprise Products: Enterprise Products Partners (EPD) mitigates commodity price volatility by charging energy companies fees for using its infrastructure, ensuring stable income in the energy sector, with a remarkable 27-year history of distribution increases demonstrating strong financial resilience.
- Strong Distribution Coverage: EPD's distribution is covered by distributable cash flow at a solid 1.7x ratio in 2025, indicating the ability to maintain dividends even in adversity, making its 5.6% yield attractive to conservative investors.
- Reliability of Southern Company: Southern Company (SO) has consistently increased or maintained its dividend for 78 years, with increases in the last 24 years, and its current dividend yield of 3.2% is notably higher than the utility sector average, showcasing its stability amid economic uncertainty.
- Future Growth Potential: Southern Company is expected to achieve approximately 8% earnings growth annually through 2030, and with its strong dividend history, future dividend growth seems highly likely, further solidifying its position as a foundation for passive income investments.
See More
Southern Company Q1 2026 Earnings Call Highlights
- Earnings Beat: Southern Company's adjusted EPS for Q1 2026 was $1.32, reflecting a $0.09 increase year-over-year and exceeding estimates by $0.12, indicating robust growth across major business segments and boosting market confidence.
- Rising Customer Demand: The company signed contracts for an additional 1.9 gigawatts of customer load in the last two months, bringing total contracted load to over 11 gigawatts, which reflects strong demand for power across its service territories and is expected to drive future revenue growth.
- Favorable Loan Agreements: Southern Company announced a historic $26.5 billion loan agreement with the Department of Energy, projected to save customers $7 billion over 30 years, thereby reducing financing costs and enhancing financial stability and long-term growth potential.
- Dividend Increase: The Board approved an increase of $0.08 per share in the annual common dividend, raising the annualized rate to $3.04 per share, demonstrating the company's commitment to shareholder returns while reflecting its strong financial performance.
See More
Southern (SO) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
See More
Southern Company Q1 Earnings Exceed Expectations
- Earnings Beat: Southern Company's Q1 non-GAAP EPS of $1.32 exceeded expectations by $0.11, indicating strong profitability and boosting market confidence in its future performance.
- Significant Revenue Growth: Q1 revenue reached $8.39 billion, up 7.8% year-over-year and beating market expectations by $280 million, showcasing the company's positive performance in its clean energy transition and solidifying its market position.
- Operating Revenue Increase: Operating revenues for Q1 2026 were $8.4 billion, compared to $7.8 billion in Q1 2025, reflecting an 8.0% growth that highlights the company's success in business expansion and rising customer demand.
- Dividend Increase: Southern Company raised its dividend by 2.7% to $0.76 per share, demonstrating its commitment to shareholders and stable cash flow, which further attracts investor interest.
See More
Southern Company Reports Q1 2026 Earnings of $1.4 Billion
- Earnings Growth: Southern Company reported a net income of $1.4 billion for Q1 2026, with earnings per share (EPS) of $1.21, remaining stable compared to $1.3 billion in Q1 2025, demonstrating the company's ability to maintain profitability despite external challenges.
- Adjusted Earnings: Excluding special items, the net income for Q1 2026 was $1.5 billion, translating to an EPS of $1.32, up from $1.356 billion in 2025, reflecting the company's efforts to enhance operational efficiency.
- Revenue Increase: Operating revenues reached $8.4 billion in Q1, an 8% increase from $7.8 billion in 2025, primarily driven by higher utility revenues, indicating strong market demand.
- Infrastructure Investment: The company plans to continue investing in infrastructure to support regional growth, with CEO Chris Womack emphasizing the strategic importance of maintaining stable customer rates and reliability to enhance customer trust and market competitiveness.
See More
Southern Company Reports Q1 2026 Earnings of $1.4 Billion
- Earnings Stability: Southern Company reported a net income of $1.4 billion for Q1 2026, with earnings per share (EPS) of $1.21, maintaining the same level as Q1 2025, demonstrating the company's ability to sustain earnings amidst market fluctuations.
- Adjusted Earnings Improvement: Excluding special items, the net income for Q1 2026 rose to $1.5 billion, with an EPS of $1.32, up from $1.4 billion and $1.23 in 2025, indicating enhanced operational efficiency and cost management.
- Revenue Growth: The company's operating revenues reached $8.4 billion in Q1, an 8% increase from $7.8 billion in the previous year, primarily driven by higher utility revenues, although milder weather impacted electricity demand.
- Infrastructure Investment: CEO Chris Womack highlighted ongoing investments in infrastructure to support regional growth, ensuring reliability and stable rates for customers, thereby enhancing the company's competitive position in the energy market.
See More
Reliable Passive Income Sources: EPD and SO
- Stability of Enterprise Products: Enterprise Products Partners (EPD) mitigates commodity price volatility by charging energy companies fees for using its infrastructure, ensuring stable income in the energy sector, with a remarkable 27-year history of distribution increases demonstrating strong financial resilience.
- Strong Distribution Coverage: EPD's distribution is covered by distributable cash flow at a solid 1.7x ratio in 2025, indicating the ability to maintain dividends even in adversity, making its 5.6% yield attractive to conservative investors.
- Reliability of Southern Company: Southern Company (SO) has consistently increased or maintained its dividend for 78 years, with increases in the last 24 years, and its current dividend yield of 3.2% is notably higher than the utility sector average, showcasing its stability amid economic uncertainty.
- Future Growth Potential: Southern Company is expected to achieve approximately 8% earnings growth annually through 2030, and with its strong dividend history, future dividend growth seems highly likely, further solidifying its position as a foundation for passive income investments.
See More
Southern Company Q1 2026 Earnings Call Highlights
- Earnings Beat: Southern Company's adjusted EPS for Q1 2026 was $1.32, reflecting a $0.09 increase year-over-year and exceeding estimates by $0.12, indicating robust growth across major business segments and boosting market confidence.
- Rising Customer Demand: The company signed contracts for an additional 1.9 gigawatts of customer load in the last two months, bringing total contracted load to over 11 gigawatts, which reflects strong demand for power across its service territories and is expected to drive future revenue growth.
- Favorable Loan Agreements: Southern Company announced a historic $26.5 billion loan agreement with the Department of Energy, projected to save customers $7 billion over 30 years, thereby reducing financing costs and enhancing financial stability and long-term growth potential.
- Dividend Increase: The Board approved an increase of $0.08 per share in the annual common dividend, raising the annualized rate to $3.04 per share, demonstrating the company's commitment to shareholder returns while reflecting its strong financial performance.
See More
Southern (SO) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
See More
Southern Company Q1 Earnings Exceed Expectations
- Earnings Beat: Southern Company's Q1 non-GAAP EPS of $1.32 exceeded expectations by $0.11, indicating strong profitability and boosting market confidence in its future performance.
- Significant Revenue Growth: Q1 revenue reached $8.39 billion, up 7.8% year-over-year and beating market expectations by $280 million, showcasing the company's positive performance in its clean energy transition and solidifying its market position.
- Operating Revenue Increase: Operating revenues for Q1 2026 were $8.4 billion, compared to $7.8 billion in Q1 2025, reflecting an 8.0% growth that highlights the company's success in business expansion and rising customer demand.
- Dividend Increase: Southern Company raised its dividend by 2.7% to $0.76 per share, demonstrating its commitment to shareholders and stable cash flow, which further attracts investor interest.
See More
Southern Company Reports Q1 2026 Earnings of $1.4 Billion
- Earnings Growth: Southern Company reported a net income of $1.4 billion for Q1 2026, with earnings per share (EPS) of $1.21, remaining stable compared to $1.3 billion in Q1 2025, demonstrating the company's ability to maintain profitability despite external challenges.
- Adjusted Earnings: Excluding special items, the net income for Q1 2026 was $1.5 billion, translating to an EPS of $1.32, up from $1.356 billion in 2025, reflecting the company's efforts to enhance operational efficiency.
- Revenue Increase: Operating revenues reached $8.4 billion in Q1, an 8% increase from $7.8 billion in 2025, primarily driven by higher utility revenues, indicating strong market demand.
- Infrastructure Investment: The company plans to continue investing in infrastructure to support regional growth, with CEO Chris Womack emphasizing the strategic importance of maintaining stable customer rates and reliability to enhance customer trust and market competitiveness.
See More
Southern Company Reports Q1 2026 Earnings of $1.4 Billion
- Earnings Stability: Southern Company reported a net income of $1.4 billion for Q1 2026, with earnings per share (EPS) of $1.21, maintaining the same level as Q1 2025, demonstrating the company's ability to sustain earnings amidst market fluctuations.
- Adjusted Earnings Improvement: Excluding special items, the net income for Q1 2026 rose to $1.5 billion, with an EPS of $1.32, up from $1.4 billion and $1.23 in 2025, indicating enhanced operational efficiency and cost management.
- Revenue Growth: The company's operating revenues reached $8.4 billion in Q1, an 8% increase from $7.8 billion in the previous year, primarily driven by higher utility revenues, although milder weather impacted electricity demand.
- Infrastructure Investment: CEO Chris Womack highlighted ongoing investments in infrastructure to support regional growth, ensuring reliability and stable rates for customers, thereby enhancing the company's competitive position in the energy market.
See More
