Goldman Sachs raised the rating of Southern (NYSE:SO) from Buy to Conviction Buy and set a price target of $80.00. Additionally, the analysts included Southern in the "Conviction List - Director's Cut" which features the top Buy-rated stocks across the firm's U.S. coverage.

The analysts believe that Southern is uniquely positioned to achieve above-average growth in clean energy, particularly in the nuclear sector, while also having lower-than-average regulatory risk for its regulated utility operations.

According to the analysts, the company's prospects are positively influenced by the progress of the Vogtle Units 3 and 4 nuclear projects, its exposure to regulated utility operations, and potential opportunities in the energy transition sector. The analysts expect the completion of the Vogtle project to alleviate any lingering concerns about the company's valuation.