SO Southern Company
$90.80
▲ 1.8%Updated Today 2:25 PM ET
Report Card
SO at a glance — five pillars scored 0–100 from real filed financials.
How the 0–100 rating is calculatedOverall: Neutral · 48/100. A wider, greener shape means more pillars look healthy. Dividends scores 0 when a company pays none — that is a choice, not a flaw.
Price — Past Year
▲ Up 5.0% in the year to Jul 6, 2026
Key Metrics
Market Cap
$110.45B
P/E
23.02x
Forward P/E (est.)
24.57x
ROE
12.3%
Revenue Growth
8.7%
EPS Growth
-6.3%
Profit Margin
15.1%
FCF Yield
7.4%
Debt / Equity
2.02x
ROIC
16.0%
Interest Coverage
—
Current Ratio
0.65x
Dividend Yield
3.2%
Implied Growth (rev. DCF)
—
Rating Score
48/100
Business Overview
Southern Company (SO) is a large-cap company in the Electric Utilities industry, part of the Utilities sector of the S&P 500, with a market value around $110.45B.
In its latest reported year it generated about $29.55B in revenue and $4.34B in net profit.
Our model rates SO Neutral (48/100) on growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation. The summary below is built from its filed financials and current ratios and refreshes automatically.
Economic Moat
Evidence of durable competitive advantage in the filed financials (10 years of history).
Profit margins and economic moats, explainedThe numbers don't show a durable competitive advantage — margins, growth, or returns on capital have been unstable or thin. Great returns are still possible; they just aren't protected.
24.7% average over the last 3 years
±6.6 pts around 21.9% across 10 years
grew in 6 of the last 9 year-over-year periods
positive in 1 of 10 years
16.0% latest fiscal year
A moat can't be proven by numbers alone — this scores the evidence a durable advantage leaves behind (pricing power, consistency, returns on capital), computed the same way for every stock. Pair it with the business overview before concluding anything.
Technical Analysis (Educational)
Technical analysis reads price and volume to judge momentum and timing. It complements the fundamentals above — it does not replace them. Here is what SO's chart says today, with each tool explained.
Trend — moving averages. A moving average is the average closing price over a window, which smooths out daily noise. SO trades near $90.80, below its 50-day average ($93.78) and 200-day average ($92.70). Price below both averages is a downtrend — momentum is against buyers for now.
Momentum — RSI. The Relative Strength Index runs 0–100 and measures how strong recent gains are versus losses. Above 70 is "overbought", below 30 "oversold". At 69 it is in neutral territory — neither stretched nor washed out.
MACD. MACD compares two moving averages to flag shifts in momentum. Its histogram is currently positive — short-term momentum is improving.
Volatility — ATR. Average True Range is the typical daily move. SO's is $1.62 (~1.8% of price), so swings of about that size each day are normal — handy for setting a stop that isn't too tight.
Support & resistance. In the month to Jul 6, 2026, SO found buyers near $89.94 (support) and sellers near $97.98 (resistance); its 52-week range then was $83.80–$100.84. A decisive break beyond either edge often marks the next move.
Volume. The latest session traded 0.7× the 20-day average — about normal. Rising volume on up-days suggests real buying; on down-days, real selling.
Educational information to help you read a chart — not a recommendation or a forecast. The indicators were last computed on Jul 6, 2026; the price is current.
Revenue Growth
4Y CAGR
6.3%
Revenue moved from $19.90B in 2016 to $29.55B in 2025, a 4.5% compound annual growth rate. The most recent year grew a steady 8.7% year over year. Slower, mature growth is common for established businesses.
Profitability
Gross Margin
40.0%
Operating Margin
24.7%
Net Margin
14.7%
ROE
12.3%
Southern Company keeps about 15.1% of each sales dollar as net profit, with a 40.0% gross margin and 24.7% operating margin. Return on equity is 12.3% and return on invested capital about 16.0%. Margins this wide usually signal pricing power or a cost advantage.
Debt Analysis
Total Debt
—
Net Debt
—
Net Debt / EBITDA
—
Debt / Equity
2.02x
Leverage: debt-to-equity is 2.0x, with a current ratio of 0.7x. That is elevated leverage, which raises risk if earnings or rates move against it.
Cash Flow Analysis
Operating CF
$9.80B
Free Cash Flow
-$2.94B
FCF Margin
-9.9%
In the latest year Southern Company produced about $9.80B of operating cash flow but negative free cash flow as it invested heavily. That is a free-cash-flow yield of about 7.4% on today's price. Strong cash generation funds dividends, buybacks, and reinvestment.
Dividend Safety
Can the payout survive a bad year? Scored from filed cash flow, earnings coverage, and the raise/cut record.
What to look for in a dividend stockCoverage is weak, the payout was cut recently, or it's being financed rather than earned — treat the current yield as fragile.
Dividend yield
3.2%
Per share (latest FY)
$2.94
Total paid (latest FY)
$3.02B
History on record
10 years
free cash flow was negative in the latest year — the dividend is being financed
69% of net income paid out
total dividends increased 1 year in a row
no cuts in the last 10 years on record
Coverage uses the latest fiscal year as filed with the SEC; the streak counts total dollars paid (per-share figures can carry split artifacts). Educational information, not income advice.
Valuation Analysis
P/E
23.02x
P/S
3.75x
P/B
2.52x
EV / EBITDA
—
SO trades at 23.0x trailing earnings (about 24.6x on estimated forward earnings), 3.8x sales, and 2.5x book value. That is a fairly typical valuation for a profitable company.
Metrics vs. Sector Range
Where SO sits versus the Utilities companies we cover.
Bands show the middle half (25th–75th percentile) of the 38 Utilities companies in our coverage that have fundamentals data — the peer-relative anchor professional comps analysis uses. Context only — not investment advice.
Sector Peer Comparison
How SO stacks up against its Utilities peers — valuation, profitability, and growth versus the sector median.
Among the 38 rated Utilities companies we cover, SO ranks #28 by our overall rating. It trades at roughly in line versus the sector on earnings (23x P/E vs. 20.2x median) with a higher return on equity (12.3% vs. 10.3%) and slower revenue growth (8.7% vs. 8.8%).
P/E vs sector
23x
median 20.2x
ROE vs sector
12.3%
median 10.3%
Growth vs sector
8.7%
median 8.8%
Sector rank
#28
of 38 rated
Valuation vs. quality map
The sweet spot is upper-left: more profitable (higher ROE) for a lower P/E. Dashed lines mark the sector median.
Peers are the closest Utilities companies by sub-industry and size, preferring ones with full data. Sector medians and rank use the 38 rated companies among the 47 Utilities stocks we cover. Educational, not a recommendation.
5-Year Projection Model
Project revenue → earnings → price. Edit the assumptions to build your own case.
What drives this projection, and its limits2030 scenario price range (Base Case)
$78.50 – $128.96
vs. $90.80 today · implied CAGR -3% – 7%
| Metric | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $32.21B | $35.11B | $38.27B | $41.72B | $45.47B |
| Net income | $4.83B | $5.27B | $5.74B | $6.26B | $6.82B |
| EPS | $3.97 | $4.33 | $4.72 | $5.14 | $5.61 |
| Share price (low) | $55.61 | $60.62 | $66.07 | $72.02 | $78.50 |
| Share price (high) | $91.36 | $99.58 | $108.54 | $118.31 | $128.96 |
| CAGR (low–high) | -39% / 1% | -18% / 5% | -10% / 6% | -6% / 7% | -3% / 7% |
Educational scenario model, not a forecast or investment advice. It starts from the latest annual revenue in SEC filings. By default, growth is trailing revenue growth (held between 3% and 45% a year), the net margin is the latest one (held between 3% and 50%, so a loss-making company is modeled with a small profit), and the Base case P/E runs from 60% to 100% of today's. Carrying recent growth forward five years can miss badly in either direction. Outputs are only as good as the assumptions.
Bull Case
The case for SO:
- High net margins (15.1%) point to pricing power or efficiency.
- Healthy free-cash-flow yield (~7.4%) funds buybacks and dividends.
- Pays a 3.2% dividend on top of any price gains.
Bear Case
The case against SO:
- Elevated leverage (debt/equity 2.0x) adds financial risk.
- Like any single stock, it is exposed to competition, the economic cycle, and shifts in its end markets.
Key Risks
Balance-sheet risk — debt/equity of 2.0x magnifies the impact of higher rates or weaker earnings.
Market risk — sector rotation, the economic cycle, and broad sentiment move the stock regardless of fundamentals.
Investment Thesis
On balance, the picture is mixed: Southern Company is a large-cap utilities business growing at a mature pace, with solid profitability, and a heavier debt load to watch. It trades at 23.0x earnings, which our model scores Neutral (48/100). Weigh this against your own goals and time horizon — this is educational information, not a recommendation.
Analyst Ratings
What 32 Wall Street analysts covering SO recommend (September 2026). Consensus is a useful sanity check — not a substitute for your own homework.
Latest SEC Filings
SO's most recent filings, straight from SEC EDGAR. Annual and quarterly reports are the deep dives; 8-Ks flag material events the moment they happen. How to read a 10-K
In the Idea Lab
SO — frequently asked questions
Is SO a good stock to buy?
We don't give buy or sell advice. Our model rates Southern Company Neutral (48/100) based on its growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation — use that as a research starting point and make your own decision.
What is SO's rating on The Stocks School?
Southern Company currently scores 48/100 (Neutral) on our transparent model, which weighs real fundamentals: growth, margins, returns on capital, balance-sheet strength, and valuation.
How our ratings work →Where does SO's data come from?
Live price data plus real fundamentals and 5-year financials pulled directly from Southern Company's SEC filings — refreshed automatically, not hand-entered.
How is the 5-year projection for SO calculated?
It's a scenario model. It starts from the latest annual revenue and net margin in SEC filings, grows revenue at an assumed rate (trailing revenue growth by default), and applies a P/E range built around today's multiple to show the resulting share-price range. When a stock has no growth or P/E data, the starting values are placeholders. It's a tool for thinking, not a prediction.
Is this SO analysis financial advice?
No. Everything on this page is educational research, not financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell SO. Always do your own research and consider a licensed professional.
Data notice. Fundamentals and financial statements are sourced from company filings (SEC EDGAR) and market-data providers; prices and market caps refresh on trading days and may be delayed. Ratings, projections, technical signals, and written summaries are model- or rule-generated for education and may simplify or lag the latest filings.
Not advice. Nothing on this page is investment advice or a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial professional before investing.