The Southern Company (SO) is a publicly traded company in the Utilities — Regulated Electric industry listed on NYSE. This overview shows the latest price, key valuation ratios, profitability metrics and financial-health indicators used by fundamental investors.
The Southern Company operates as an energy utility, primarily involved in the production, transmission, and distribution of electricity. Its operations are segmented into Gas Distribution Operations, Gas Pipeline Investments, Wholesale Gas Services, and Gas Marketing Services.
Analysis Summary
The Southern Company reported revenue of $29.55B in the most recent fiscal year, growing at a 5-year CAGR of 7.7%. Net income reached $4.34B, with a 6.7% 5-year CAGR.
Trailing-twelve-month margins: gross margin 43.4%, operating margin 24.2%, net margin 15.4%.
At the current price of $86.23, SO trades at a P/E of 20.22 and an ROE of 12.61%. Market capitalisation stands at $99.2B, placing it among large-cap names.
Balance sheet quality for SO: current ratio of 0.6, net debt of $72.44B. A debt-to-equity below 1.0 typically signals conservative capital structure, while a current ratio above 1.5 indicates comfortable short-term liquidity.
Cash flow quality is below average: free cash flow of -$2.94B represents -68% conversion of reported net income. High conversion (above 90%) suggests earnings translate cleanly into cash; lower conversion may indicate working capital tightness or accounting timing differences.
Price
| Price | $86.23 |
| Market Cap | $99.2B |
| Exchange | NYSE |
| Country | US |
Valuation Ratios
| P/E Ratio | 20.22 |
| Price / Book | 2.42 |
| EV / EBITDA | 12.19 |
| Dividend Yield | 3.56% |
Profitability
| Return on Equity | 12.61% |
| Return on Invested Capital | 4.14% |
| Return on Assets | 2.87% |
| Gross Margin | 43.40% |
| Operating Margin | 24.19% |
| Net Margin | 15.43% |
Financial Health
| Debt / Equity | 1.95 |
| Current Ratio | 0.79 |
| Piotroski F-Score | 4 |
| Altman Z-Score | 0.93 |
What to look at in Utilities
Regulated businesses with slow growth but reliable dividends. They are bonds on steroids — look at debt, rates, and payout consistency.
- Regulated ROE (8-12%) — Utilities have an "allowed" ROE set by the regulator. Out of range = anomaly
- 5y EPS growth — Stable utilities grow EPS 4-6% annually — more = anomaly, less = dead
- 10y dividend growth — Top utilities ("Dividend Aristocrats") raise dividend 25+ consecutive years
- Net debt / EBITDA — Utilities use a lot of debt — >6x with high rates is an alarm
- Interest Coverage — EBITDA / interest. If it drops <3x during rate hikes, the dividend is in danger
- Payout Ratio — In utilities it is normally high (60-80%), but >90% indicates stress
Peer Comparison
| Symbol | Company | Market Cap | P/E | P/B | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SO | The Southern Company | $99.2B | 20.22 | 2.42 | 12.6% |
| CEG | Constellation Energy Corporation | $103.7B | 47.74 | 7.62 | 14.7% |
| AEP | American Electric Power Company, Inc. | $65.7B | 20.28 | 2.00 | 10.0% |
| EXC | Exelon Corporation | $44.0B | 15.49 | 1.46 | 9.6% |
| NEE | NextEra Energy, Inc. | $172.4B | 17.98 | 2.94 | 16.8% |
| DUK | Duke Energy Corporation | $91.8B | 17.36 | 1.65 | 9.9% |
| NGG | National Grid plc | $76.4B | 16.69 | 1.39 | 8.5% |
| D | Dominion Energy, Inc. | $55.9B | 22.10 | 1.94 | 8.9% |
Price Performance
| 1 month | -6.34% |
| 3 months | -7.37% |
| Year-to-date | -1.11% |
| 1 year | -5.89% |
| 3 years | +21.54% |
| 5 years | +34.44% |
52-Week Range
| 52-week High | $100.84 |
| 52-week Low | $83.80 |
| Avg Volume (90d) | 5.8M |
Dividend History
| Date | Amount | Yield |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-17 | $0.7600 | 3.53% |
| 2026-05-18 | $0.7600 | 3.53% |
| 2026-02-17 | $0.7400 | 3.43% |
| 2025-11-17 | $0.7400 | 3.43% |
| 2025-08-18 | $0.7400 | 3.43% |
| 2025-05-19 | $0.7400 | 3.43% |
| 2025-02-18 | $0.7200 | 3.34% |
| 2024-11-18 | $0.7200 | 3.34% |
| 2024-08-19 | $0.7200 | 3.34% |
| 2024-05-17 | $0.7200 | 3.34% |
Related companies: AEP · CEG · D · DUK · ETR · EXC · NEE
Explore sector: Utilities · Regulated Electric
More sections of SO: Financials · Valuation · Statistics · Estimates · Technical · Ownership · News · Events
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