Stocktoria
SOUTHERN CO SO
SOUTHERN CO (SO) earns a Piotroski F-score of 4/9 (mixed financial health), with an Altman Z″ in the distress zone. It pays a dividend yielding 2.75% (safety: stretched). FY2025 revenue was $29.6B at a 14.7% net margin.
Quality score trend · recomputed for each fiscal year
Each year's score is computed from that year's filing — a rising Piotroski F or Altman Z″ means improving financial health, a fall is worth a look.
Analyst price target
Recent analyst actions
| Date | Firm | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-27 | BMO Capital | Outperform (main) |
| 2026-07-23 | Keybanc | Underweight (down) |
| 2026-07-22 | BMO Capital | Outperform (main) |
| 2026-07-16 | JP Morgan | Neutral (main) |
| 2026-06-18 | Barclays | Equal-Weight (main) |
| 2026-05-29 | Truist Securities | Hold (main) |
Wall Street analyst consensus — a sentiment gauge, not our scoring.
Forward estimates · earnings calendar →
Consensus analyst estimates and scheduled dates — forward-looking, may change.
Smart money · insiders, last 12 months
Open-market insider purchases minus sells (SEC Form 4) — real buying with their own money is a bullish “smart money” signal; grants and option exercises are excluded.
How it ranks in Transportation & Utilities · percentile among 348 companies
Percentile vs other Transportation & Utilities companies we cover — e.g. “stronger than 90%” means only 10% score higher on that measure.
Piotroski F breakdown · 4/9 tests passed
- Positive return on assets
- Positive operating cash flow
- Rising ROA
- Cash flow exceeds net income
- Lower long-term debt
- Rising current ratio
- No share dilution
- Rising gross margin
- Rising asset turnover
Altman Z″ components · distress zone
| Component | Value |
|---|---|
| Working capital / assets | -0.038 |
| Retained earnings / assets | 0.095 |
| EBIT / assets | 0.047 |
| Equity / liabilities | 0.333 |
Sector peers · similar-size Transportation & Utilities companies compare side by side →
| Ticker | Company | Piotroski F | Altman Z″ | P / E | Revenue growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SO | SOUTHERN CO | 4/9 | 0.72 | 25.2 | +10.4% |
| NRG | NRG ENERGY, INC. | 5/9 | 1.86 | 36.5 | +9.2% |
| NEE | NEXTERA ENERGY INC | 4/9 | 0.99 | 27 | +9.8% |
| AEP | AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER CO INC | 3/9 | 0.75 | — | +9.5% |
| EIX | EDISON INTERNATIONAL | 6/9 | 0.95 | 6.5 | +9.8% |
| VST | Vistra Corp. | 5/9 | 0.04 | 56.7 | +3% |
| D | DOMINION ENERGY, INC | 6/9 | 0.61 | 20.4 | +14.3% |
All Transportation & Utilities companies →
About SOUTHERN CO
The Southern Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the sale of electricity. The company offers electric service to retail customers and wholesale customers; and energy-related products and services to natural gas choice markets. It also develops, constructs, acquires, owns, operates, and manages power generation assets, as well as battery energy storage projects; sells electricity at market-based rates in the wholesale market; and deploys microgrids for commercial, industrial, governmental, and utility customers. In addition, the company is involved in the distribution of natural gas in Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee; distributes energy and resilience solutions; and invests in telecommunications. The Southern Company was incorporated in 1945 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
FAQ
Is SO financially healthy?
SOUTHERN CO's Piotroski F-score is 4/9 (8–9 is excellent, 0–3 weak), and its Altman Z″ distress score is in the distress zone.
Does SO pay a dividend, and is it safe?
Yes. SOUTHERN CO pays a dividend yielding about 2.75% with a 69.5% payout ratio, rated “stretched” for safety.
How profitable is SO?
In FY2025, SOUTHERN CO had a net margin of 14.7% and a return on equity of 11.2%.
Is SO overvalued or undervalued?
SOUTHERN CO trades at about 23.6× trailing earnings — above its 10-year norm (10-year range 15.6×–53.7×, median 21.0×). Stocktoria reports the data, not buy/sell advice.
What is the analyst price target for SO?
The average Wall-Street price target for SOUTHERN CO is $100.67, about 8.8% above the recent price, from 20 analysts (consensus: hold).
Is SO a good stock to buy?
Stocktoria doesn't give buy or sell advice, but here is the data on SOUTHERN CO: a Piotroski F-score of 4/9, an Altman Z″ in the distress zone, a P/E of about 25.2×, a dividend yield of 2.75%. Weigh these quality and valuation signals against your own goals.
Computed from company filings · US · as of 2025-12-31. Facts plus Stocktoria's own computed scores — not investment advice.