Southern Company today moved to a long-term greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goal of net zero emissions by 2050. The company also reaffirmed its intermediate goal of a 50 percent reduction of GHG emissions from 2007 levels by 2030. These are enterprise-wide goals across all electric and gas operations. Today's action, announced during the 2020 Southern Company Annual Meeting of Stockholders, replaces the low- to no-carbon goal the company unveiled in April of 2018.

We hate to say this but, we told you so. On February 27th we published an article with the title Recession is Imminent: We Need A Travel Ban NOW and predicted a US recession when the S&P 500 Index was trading at the 3150 level. We also told you to short the market and buy […]

Southern Company earned the 26th spot on the 2020 DiversityInc "Top 50 Companies for Diversity" list. The announcement was made during a virtual event hosted by DiversityInc on May 5, 2020. Southern Company was also recognized on multiple specialty lists, including:

Shareholders might have noticed that The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) filed its first-quarter result this time last...

Are you looking for a wild ride or are you looking for consistent income? For a de-risked portfolio and solid dividends, utilities stocks are a time-tested favorite investment option.Along with the dividends, utilities stocks are considered relatively safe because they provide power to homes and businesses. This is considered a necessity that never goes out of style. * 7 Sluggish Stocks Hit Hard by Coronavirus This Earnings Season It's a sound policy to stick to the best companies in any sector. When it comes to utilities companies, five names are well-regarded and have a long history:InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips * Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) * Southern (NYSE:SO) * Dominion Energy (NYSE:D) * Consolidated Edison (NYSE:ED) * Excelon (NASDAQ:EXC)Feel free to explore these utilities stocks and see if they deserve a place among your low-volatility holdings. Utilities Stocks to Buy: Duke Energy (DUK)Source: jadimages / Shutterstock.com Like just about every company in the United States, Duke Energy is dealing with the Covid-19 crisis. This particular company seems to be taking the situation in stride, however.Consider Duke's first-quarter net income, which came out to $899 million. That's just about exactly in line with the same quarter of the previous year, when Duke's net income was $900 million. Meanwhile, this year's first-quarter revenue totaled $5.95 billion, which is not too far below the $6.16 billion reported in the first quarter of the prior year.So, while there is some pressure being felt during the pandemic, it's not too severe. For the time being, DUK stockholders can ride out the crisis with a decent 4.54% forward annual dividend yield. Southern (SO)Source: Shutterstock "Critical infrastructure businesses like ours never take a day off," observed Thomas A. Fanning, the president and CEO of utilities giant Southern. Fanning's 100% right about that as Southern is an essential utilities provider for around 8 million customers.Southern remains in good fiscal health, as well. For 2020's first quarter, the company posted adjusted earnings per share of 78 cents. That's an eight-cent year-over-year increase as well as 6 cents greater than the company's estimate. * 10 Best High-Growth Stocks to Buy for Young Investors SO stock is a safe bet since it has such a massive presence and is crucial to people's standard of living. It's also a dividend achiever with a forward annual yield of 4.78%. All in all, this pick deserves to be on anyone's top utilities stocks list. Dominion Energy (D)Source: Riccardo Annandale Via UnsplashIf you said that D stock is recession-proof, you'd by exaggerating but only slightly. The shares have held up fairly well during the novel coronavirus crisis. Besides, the 4.77% forward annual dividend yield is a strong incentive to hold the stock.Fiscally, Dominion Energy has held up reasonably well despite the pandemic. For the first quarter of this year, Dominion reported total revenues of $4.5 billion. That's actually a marked improvement over the revenues of $3.9 billion Dominion generated in the year-ago quarter.With over 7 million customers across 20 U.S. states relying on Dominion for their energy needs, this company's a mainstay in the utilities sector and D stock is a highly reliable income generator. Consolidated Edison (ED)Source: Shutterstock Like to invest in companies that have been around for a while? If so, take a look at Consolidated Edison, which was founded way back in 1884. If you happen to reside in New York or New Jersey, there's a fair chance that your electricity service is provided by this esteemed company.Has "Con Ed" been able to weather the Covid storm? The answer would be yes as the company's adjusted earnings for the first quarter totaled $451 million. That's $1.35 per share and it beats the $448 million, or $1.39 per share, generated during the same quarter of last year. * Missing copy for url 1. Please edit. * Url 1 is an external link. Please edit.Plus, ED stock features a trailing 12-month price-to-earnings ratio of 18.15 and a forward annual dividend yield of 4.32%. Those are nice stats and this stock should perform well even in these challenging times. Excelon (EXC)Source: Shutterstock This one's a little bit different from the other utilities-sector stocks on this list. Excelon is a relative newcomer, having been incorporated in 1999. Plus, EXC stock is the only name on this list that's traded on the Nasdaq.So, it could be argued that Excelon is a more "modern" utilities company. Its true strength, however, is that it's diversified with fossil, nuclear, hydroelectric, wind and solar segments.With 87 cents per share in operating earnings for 2020's first quarter, Excelon remains on par with its results from the same quarter of last year. Additionally, a trailing 12-month price-to-earnings ratio of 13.79 and a forward annual dividend yield of 4.17% indicate a compelling value with EXC stock.David Moadel has provided compelling content - and crossed the occasional line - on behalf of Crush the Street, Market Realist, TalkMarkets, Finom Group, Benzinga, and (of course) InvestorPlace.com. He also serves as the chief analyst and market researcher for Portfolio Wealth Global and hosts the popular financial YouTube channel Looking at the Markets. As of this writing, David Moadel did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace * Top Stock Picker Reveals His Next 1,000% Winner * America's Richest ZIP Code Holds Shocking Secret * 1 Under-the-Radar 5G Stock to Buy Now * The 1 Stock All Retirees Must Own The post 5 Utilities Stocks That Will Help Pay the Bills appeared first on InvestorPlace.

The Trump administration has ended a two-year rent holiday for solar and wind projects operating on federal lands, handing them whopping retroactive bills at a time the industry is struggling with the fallout of the coronavirus outbreak, according to company officials. U.S. power plant owner Avangrid Inc, majority owned by Spain's Iberdrola, received a bill for more than $3 million for two years of rent on its 131-megawatt Tule wind project on federal land near San Diego, according to spokesman Paul Copleman. Officials at two other renewable projects also confirmed they had received retroactive rent bills from the federal government but asked not to be named discussing the issue as the industry continues to lobby the government for support to weather the downturn.

The three major indexes closed in the green on Wednesday, as investors focused on economic recovery stemming from business activity rising across the country.

The largest Insider Buys this week were for Mondelez International Inc., Southern Co., Illinois Tool Works Inc. and Kinder Morgan Inc. Continue reading...

Q1 2020 Southern Co Earnings Call

The final module for Georgia Power's Vogtle Unit 3, a massive water tank, has been placed atop the containment vessel and shield building roof at the company's Vogtle 3 & 4 nuclear expansion project near Waynesboro, Georgia. The installation represents the final module placement for Unit 3, marking another significant milestone for the project.

U.S. utility Southern Co on Wednesday committed to reducing its carbon emissions to "net zero" by 2050 following investor pressure to set a more ambitious goal to combat climate change. The Atlanta-based company's pledge, unveiled at its annual shareholder meeting, goes beyond a 2018 commitment that it would emit "low to no" carbon by 2050, environmental groups said.

Southern Company Gas and the Southern Company Gas Charitable Foundation are donating $1 million toward academic expansion and efforts to provide greater equity in healthcare led by Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM).

Southern Company (SO) is set to adopt technology-based negative carbon solutions to boost emission-reduction efforts.

Strengthening its commitment to energy innovation, Southern Company, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), has announced an expanded focus for the National Carbon Capture Center.

As the largest non-governmental provider of recreation facilities in the state, Georgia Power today is reminding customers and lake visitors if they are planning to head out to the lake this weekend to remember social distancing and group size guidelines as advised by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The company is also encouraging customers and lake visitors to remember water and boating safety tips with the start of the Memorial Day weekend.

With continued reports of attempted scams and fraud by criminals posing as Georgia Power employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, the company reminds customers to be aware and follow simple tips to avoid becoming a victim.

Southern Power, a leading U.S. wholesale energy provider and subsidiary of Southern Company, today announced the acquisition of its 13th wind project — the 56-megawatt (MW) Beech Ridge II Wind Facility — from Invenergy, a leading developer, owner and operator of sustainable energy solutions.

Open Vessel Testing, a major systems testing milestone, has been completed for Unit 3 at Georgia Power's Vogtle 3 & 4 nuclear expansion project near Waynesboro, Georgia, marking one of the most significant accomplishments in the project to date.

The Integrated Head Package (IHP) for Vogtle Unit 3 has been set into place atop the reactor vessel at Georgia Power's nuclear expansion project near Waynesboro, Georgia, marking another significant milestone in the construction of the nation's first new nuclear units in more than 30 years.

Utility companies are hotbeds of dividend income. Companies in this sector often provide appealing yields Continue reading...