Latest Ratios: P/E Ratio 24.8x · EV/EBITDA 13.1x · ROE 11.5%. (1996–2025 historical series)
Price-based multiples — how expensive the stock is relative to earnings, sales, book value, and cash flow
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $109.7B | $96.7B | $90.8B | $77.0B | $77.2B | $72.8B | $65.0B | $67.1B | $45.4B | $48.5B | $48.7B |
| Enterprise Value | $173.9B | $160.9B | $156.0B | $139.7B | $134.4B | $126.4B | $115.0B | $113.8B | $90.9B | $97.1B | $94.2B |
| P/E Ratio → | 24.82 | 22.24 | 20.63 | 19.37 | 21.90 | 30.35 | 20.82 | 14.16 | 20.43 | 57.25 | 19.91 |
| P/S Ratio | 3.71 | 3.27 | 3.40 | 3.05 | 2.64 | 3.15 | 3.19 | 3.13 | 1.93 | 2.10 | 2.45 |
| P/B Ratio | 2.78 | 2.49 | 2.48 | 2.19 | 2.24 | 2.23 | 2.00 | 2.09 | 1.55 | 1.87 | 1.82 |
| P/FCF | — | — | 109.00 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| P/OCF | 11.19 | 9.87 | 9.28 | 10.19 | 12.25 | 11.80 | 9.71 | 11.60 | 6.54 | 7.58 | 9.95 |
P/E links to full P/E history page with 30-year chart
Enterprise-value multiples — capital-structure-neutral measures of total business value
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EV / Revenue | — | 5.44 | 5.84 | 5.53 | 4.59 | 5.47 | 5.64 | 5.31 | 3.87 | 4.22 | 4.73 |
| EV / EBITDA | 13.07 | 12.10 | 12.65 | 12.92 | 14.25 | 16.48 | 13.08 | 10.28 | 11.74 | 16.77 | 12.71 |
| EV / EBIT | 23.91 | 19.37 | 19.57 | 20.58 | 21.52 | 28.65 | 21.62 | 13.75 | 19.79 | 35.16 | 19.64 |
| EV / FCF | — | — | 187.28 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Margins and return-on-capital ratios measuring operating efficiency
Full margin charts and quarterly trend are on the Earnings History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 29.8% | 29.8% | 49.9% | 46.4% | 36.3% | 44.3% | 48.6% | 44.8% | 40.9% | 43.1% | 42.9% |
| Operating Margin | 24.6% | 24.6% | 26.4% | 23.1% | 18.3% | 16.0% | 24.0% | 36.1% | 17.8% | 10.1% | 22.5% |
| Net Profit Margin | 14.7% | 14.7% | 16.5% | 15.7% | 12.1% | 10.4% | 15.4% | 22.2% | 9.5% | 3.8% | 12.5% |
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROE | 11.5% | 11.5% | 12.2% | 11.4% | 10.5% | 7.4% | 9.7% | 15.5% | 8.1% | 3.3% | 10.2% |
| ROA | 2.9% | 2.9% | 3.1% | 2.9% | 2.7% | 1.9% | 2.6% | 4.0% | 2.0% | 0.8% | 2.7% |
| ROIC | 5.3% | 5.3% | 5.3% | 4.6% | 4.5% | 3.3% | 4.5% | 7.6% | 4.2% | 2.4% | 5.5% |
| ROCE | 5.4% | 5.4% | 5.5% | 4.8% | 4.6% | 3.3% | 4.5% | 7.4% | 4.2% | 2.4% | 5.4% |
Solvency and debt-coverage ratios — lower is generally safer
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debt / Equity | 1.69 | 1.69 | 1.81 | 1.80 | 1.71 | 1.70 | 1.57 | 1.52 | 1.60 | 1.96 | 1.78 |
| Debt / EBITDA | 4.95 | 4.95 | 5.37 | 5.87 | 6.27 | 7.23 | 5.81 | 4.40 | 6.05 | 8.77 | 6.41 |
| Net Debt / Equity | — | 1.65 | 1.78 | 1.78 | 1.66 | 1.65 | 1.54 | 1.46 | 1.55 | 1.88 | 1.70 |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | 4.83 | 4.83 | 5.29 | 5.80 | 6.07 | 7.00 | 5.69 | 4.22 | 5.87 | 8.40 | 6.14 |
| Debt / FCF | — | — | 78.28 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Interest Coverage | 2.51 | 2.51 | 2.91 | 2.78 | 3.09 | 2.40 | 2.92 | 4.77 | 2.49 | 1.63 | 3.64 |
Short-term solvency ratios and asset-utilisation metrics
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio | 0.65 | 0.65 | 0.67 | 0.77 | 0.66 | 0.82 | 0.71 | 0.78 | 0.67 | 0.74 | 0.75 |
| Quick Ratio | 0.45 | 0.45 | 0.46 | 0.53 | 0.49 | 0.61 | 0.51 | 0.59 | 0.50 | 0.55 | 0.54 |
| Cash Ratio | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.07 | 0.06 | 0.12 | 0.16 | 0.09 | 0.16 | 0.10 | 0.16 | 0.15 |
| Asset Turnover | — | 0.19 | 0.18 | 0.18 | 0.22 | 0.18 | 0.17 | 0.18 | 0.20 | 0.21 | 0.18 |
| Inventory Turnover | 6.22 | 6.22 | 3.97 | 4.04 | 6.97 | 5.46 | 4.21 | 4.95 | 5.80 | 4.99 | 4.09 |
| Days Sales Outstanding | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Earnings, FCF, buyback, and dividend yields — total returns to shareholders
Full dividend history and growth charts are on the Dividend History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield | 2.8% | 3.1% | 3.3% | 3.9% | 3.8% | 3.8% | 4.1% | 3.8% | 5.3% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Payout Ratio | 69.5% | 69.5% | 67.1% | 76.3% | 82.2% | 115.3% | 85.7% | 54.1% | 108.2% | 261.4% | 84.4% |
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings Yield | 4.0% | 4.5% | 4.8% | 5.2% | 4.6% | 3.3% | 4.8% | 7.1% | 4.9% | 1.7% | 5.0% |
| FCF Yield | — | — | 0.9% | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Buyback Yield | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 1.4% | 0.0% |
| Total Shareholder Yield | 2.8% | 3.1% | 3.3% | 3.9% | 3.8% | 3.8% | 4.1% | 3.8% | 5.4% | 6.1% | 4.3% |
| Shares Outstanding | — | $1.1B | $1.1B | $1.1B | $1.1B | $1.1B | $1.1B | $1.1B | $1.0B | $1.0B | $990M |
Regulatory recovery timing risk
With a forward P/E of 21.23, Southern Company trades at a premium to peers like Exelon, suggesting that investors are pricing in the durability of its newly expanded rate base and the strategic advantage of its carbon-free nuclear assets following the completion of the Vogtle project.
The current valuation appears to reflect a market shift from viewing SO as a construction-risk story to a stable, high-quality utility. While the 2.8% dividend yield is lower than some peers, the market may be compensating for the potential for higher-than-average earnings growth driven by data center load expansion in the Southeast.
Based on quarterly data, the earned ROE has fluctuated between 1.1% and 4.5% over the last ten quarters, which, according to financial filings, largely reflects the accounting impact of project commissioning rather than a fundamental erosion of the utility's authorized return on equity in its core jurisdictions.
The wide variance in reported ROE warrants caution, as it is heavily influenced by the timing of AFUDC recognition and the transition of assets into the rate base. Investors should monitor whether the earned ROE stabilizes at a higher level now that the major capital overhang of the Vogtle expansion has been resolved.
As reported in recent financial statements, the debt-to-capital ratio has remained consistently near 0.65, indicating that Southern Company continues to carry a significant debt burden that was necessary to fund its massive infrastructure investments throughout the multi-year nuclear construction cycle that recently concluded.
The elevated leverage profile suggests that the company's balance sheet remains strained, leaving limited room for further debt-funded expansion without potential credit rating pressure. Future capital allocation will likely need to prioritize debt reduction to restore financial flexibility now that the primary construction phase has ended.
According to the provided financial data, the dividend payout ratio has shown significant volatility, spiking to 182.9% in 2025Q4, which highlights the tension between maintaining a long-standing dividend commitment and the heavy cash requirements of the company's aggressive capital expenditure program during the final stages of nuclear development.
While the dividend remains a core component of the investment thesis, the high payout ratios in recent quarters suggest that internal cash flow generation was insufficient to cover both capital needs and shareholder distributions. Investors should look for a normalization of the payout ratio as the company shifts toward a harvest phase.
The most commonly misapplied metric for Southern Company is the standard P/E ratio, which fails to account for the significant non-cash earnings components like AFUDC that artificially inflate net income during periods of heavy capital investment, thereby obscuring the true cash-generating capacity of the regulated utility business.
Analysts should instead focus on cash-based metrics such as FFO-to-debt or EV/EBITDA to better assess the underlying health of the utility. Relying solely on P/E can lead to a distorted view of valuation, as it ignores the regulatory accounting nuances that are fundamental to the utility's earnings profile.
Includes 30+ ratios · 30 years · Updated daily
DCF models, multiple analysis, and analyst estimates.
10-year return with dividends reinvested.
See how regular investing compounds over time.
Compare growth, multiples, and margins vs sector.
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying SO stock.
The Southern Company's current P/E ratio is 24.8x. The historical average is 18.4x. This places it at the 93th percentile of its historical range.
The Southern Company's current EV/EBITDA is 13.1x. This enterprise value multiple compares the company's total value (equity + debt - cash) to its EBITDA. The historical average is 10.0x.
The Southern Company's return on equity (ROE) is 11.5%. The historical average is 11.5%.
Based on historical data, The Southern Company is trading at a P/E of 24.8x. This is at the 93th percentile of its historical P/E range. Compare with industry peers and growth rates for a complete picture.
The Southern Company's current dividend yield is 2.79% with a payout ratio of 69.5%.
The Southern Company has 29.8% gross margin and 24.6% operating margin. Operating margin above 20% indicates strong pricing power and cost efficiency.
The Southern Company's Debt/EBITDA ratio is 4.9x, indicating high leverage. A ratio above 4x may signal elevated financial risk.