SO
Hot AirThe Southern Company · Utilities · United States · $106.9B cap · $636.8M/day traded
$92.47 -1.5% · close 12 Nov · scored 13 Nov
Score down 1.2 since 12 Nov.
Hot Air: Strong momentum and nothing else: weak business, rich price.
Around its 5 Nov results, analysts left next year's EPS estimate little changed.
As of 13 Nov 2026, the MoatMap Score for The Southern Company (SO) is 48/100, ranked against 25,000+ stocks in 38 markets (Quality 45, Value 33, Momentum 64, each scored against its sector).
Does the score work? Each tenth of the ranking, tracked monthly. See the record →
ABOUT THE SOUTHERN COMPANY
Read
The Southern Company is a major energy company that provides electricity to customers across three states and natural gas distribution to four states in the southeastern United States. Operating primarily as a regulated utility, it benefits from stable demand, high barriers to entry, and a predictable revenue stream derived from its extensive generation and distribution infrastructure.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY (USD)
| Year | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | CAGR | TTM | 2026E | 2027E | Fwd CAGR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 29.3B | 25.3B | 26.7B | 29.6B | 0.3% | 31.2B | 31.0B | 32.9B | 5.5% |
| EPS | 3.28 | 3.64 | 4.05 | 3.94 | 6.3% | 4.38 | 4.24 | 4.52 | 7.1% |
| Shares | 1.1B | 1.1B | 1.1B | 1.1B | +1.8% | 1.2B | — | — | — |
| Debt | 59.1B | 63.5B | 66.3B | 74.1B | 7.8% | 75.5B | — | — | — |
| Equity | 30.4B | 31.4B | 33.2B | 36.0B | 5.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Op CF | 6.3B | 7.6B | 9.8B | 9.8B | 15.9% | 10.5B | — | — | — |
| Inv CF | -8.4B | -9.7B | -9.4B | -14.0B | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fin CF | 2.3B | 999.0M | -208.0M | 4.7B | — | — | — | — | — |
No clear trend: not near its 52-week low, and not in a steady uptrend.
Calmer than 94% of stocks we rank over the past year (volatility 18% a year).
How this is worked out
The Price check reads only the chart, the price side of the Momentum score in words; it is not the MoatMap Score.
- Still falling: It set a new 52-week low in the last two weeks, after a deep fall.
- Finding a floor: It fell hard, but has set no new low for more than two weeks.
- Turning up: It has climbed off its low and is back above a rising 50-day average.
- In an uptrend: It is near its 52-week high and above its 200-day average.
- No clear trend (this stock): None of the above: no recent deep fall and no steady climb.
- No read yet: Not enough price history yet: it needs a year of trading.
In past US falls, waiting for Turning up cut the chance of another 20% drop from 42% to 33%. Returns were no better, and 33% of turns failed.
The exact rules
Still falling is a new 52-week low in the last two weeks, at least 25% below the high, with the low set after the high. Finding a floor is the same fall with no new low in the last two weeks. Turning up is 20 or more trading days without a new low, at least 10% off it, and back above a rising 50-day average. In an uptrend is above the 200-day average, with the 50-day average above the 200-day, and within 15% of the high. No clear trend is everything else. No read yet is under 252 trading days of history, or missing data. A new state shows once it has held for three trading days.
In 2,112 US drawdowns since 2001, buying while the price was still falling was followed by a further 20% drop 42% of the time. Waiting for a turn (the Turning up rule above) cut that to 33%, at about 7% higher prices and with no better returns. Part of that cut is simply not buying: 13% of falls never turned, and waiting kept those out. Among turns that were bought, 38% still fell another 20%, and 33% of turns were followed by a new low within six months. The benefit was largest in crashes such as 2008 and 2020.
What it measures: how much the price moved day to day over the past year, scaled to a yearly figure (annualised volatility) and ranked against every stock we cover. Very calm under 20% a year, Calm 20 to 30%, Average 30 to 40%, Bumpy 40 to 55%, Very bumpy above that.
What we found: across about 13,500 stocks in 34 markets (2002 to 2025), past swings were a good guide to the next year's, and bumpier stocks fell further. How much further changed too much between eras to put a number on it.
Calm is not safe: a calm stock can still slide steadily.
Rules fixed before any data was fetched. Describes the chart, not a recommendation.
SCORE BREAKDOWN
FUNDAMENTALS
SECTOR PEERS
Closest peers in Utilities, ranked by industry match, size, and score similarity. Cross-listings of SO are excluded.
| Ticker | Company | Mkt Cap | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| SO | The Southern Company(you) | $106.9B | 48 |
| AEP | American Electric Power Company, Inc. | $70.6B | 47 |
| DUK | Duke Energy Corporation | $97.4B | 54 |
| NGG | National Grid plc | $82.3B | 53 |
| ETR | Entergy Corporation | $51.3B | 46 |
| D | Dominion Energy, Inc. | $57.3B | 52 |
| XEL | Xcel Energy Inc. | $48.8B | 50 |
| EXC | Exelon Corporation | $45.8B | 46 |
| WEC | WEC Energy Group, Inc. | $36.2B | 51 |
| FTS.TO | Fortis Inc. | $29.6B | 48 |
Peer medians: ROE 7.6% · P/E 17.3x · Gross margin 32.2%
Company Deep Dive
A 10,000-word report: the business and its segments, what management promised on earnings calls and whether it delivered, the competition, and how things could turn out.