The Southern Company Ratios | P/E, ROE & Valuation

On the Key Ratios page for The Southern Company (SO), the latest P/E of 21.2 frames valuation, while ROE 12.61% and ROIC 4.14% indicates profitability and capital efficiency. Together with the current ratio of 0.79 and debt-to-equity 1.95, these signals help you judge whether valuation is supported by fundamentals across the historical rows.

Financial Performance Ratios

SO Historical Per Share Metrics

10 years
Metric (FY)TTM202420232022202120202019201820172016
Revenue per Share$26.54$24.38$23.13$27.24$21.78$19.26$20.34$22.73$22.86$20.09
Net Income per Share$4.10$4.02$3.64$3.29$2.27$2.96$4.51$2.17$0.87$2.52
Operating Cash Flow per Share$9.01$8.93$6.92$5.86$5.81$6.33$5.49$6.72$6.35$4.94
Free Cash Flow per Share$2.26$0.76$-1.41$-1.51$-1.01$-0.70$-1.68$-1.02$-1.02$-2.44
Cash per Share$2.62$0.98$0.68$1.78$1.69$1.01$1.88$1.35$2.11$1.99
Book Value per Share$37.24$33.46$32.26$32.12$30.69$30.74$30.44$28.37$25.66$26.99
Tangible Book Value per Share$32.45$28.45$27.19$26.94$25.30$25.29$24.91$22.64$18.57$19.70
Interest Debt per Share$70.69$62.97$60.38$56.89$54.01$49.96$47.88$47.10$52.09$49.26
CAPEX per Share$6.75$8.17$8.33$7.37$6.82$7.03$7.17$7.74$7.37$7.38

SO Historical Valuation Ratios

10 years
Metric (FY)TTM202420232022202120202019201820172016
Price to Earnings (P/E)21.1820.519.2621.7230.2220.7414.1120.2555.0619.54
Price to Book (P/B)2.542.722.442.522.582.32.411.821.981.91
Price to Sales (P/S)3.373.383.032.623.153.193.131.932.12.45
Enterprise Value to EBITDA12.3911.7411.831315.0812.479.811.1615.6212.2
EV to Sales5.825.825.524.585.475.645.313.874.224.73
EV to Operating Cash Flow17.1415.8818.4421.2620.517.1719.6813.0815.1919.25
EV to Free Cash Flow68.28186.59-90.35-82.65-118.05-154.32-64.14-86.04-94.47-38.99
Enterprise Value$175.69B$155.43B$139.31B$133.98B$126.44B$114.97B$113.79B$90.86B$97.12B$94.19B

SO Historical Profitability Ratios

10 years
Metric (FY)TTM202420232022202120202019201820172016
Return on Equity (ROE)12.61%13.25%12.64%11.63%8.55%11.09%17.10%8.96%3.59%9.78%
Return on Invested Capital (ROIC)4.14%4.25%3.94%3.45%2.75%3.76%5.03%3.22%1.95%3.21%
Return on Tangible Assets2.97%3.15%2.97%2.73%1.98%2.67%4.21%2.02%0.85%2.43%
Earnings Yield4.64%4.88%5.19%4.60%3.31%4.82%7.09%4.94%1.82%5.12%
Free Cash Flow Yield2.53%0.92%-2.01%-2.11%-1.47%-1.15%-2.64%-2.33%-2.12%-4.96%
Dividend Yield3.40%3.27%3.96%3.79%3.82%4.13%3.83%5.34%4.75%4.32%

SO Historical Liquidity & Financial Strength

10 years
Metric (FY)TTM202420232022202120202019201820172016
Current Ratio0.790.670.770.660.820.710.780.670.740.75
Interest Coverage2.222.582.382.662.012.684.462.281.383.41
Income Quality2.22.31.91.842.672.161.223.026.911.94
Debt to Equity1.9522.021.941.971.811.751.872.071.86
Debt to Assets47.58%45.65%45.57%43.84%43.49%41.52%41.02%40.07%45.76%43.26%
Net Debt to EBITDA5.224.935.335.556.45.424.025.587.825.89

SO Historical Efficiency Ratios

10 years
Metric (FY)TTM202420232022202120202019201820172016
Receivables Turnover7.646.236.377.887.86.116.285.795.695.25
Payables Turnover5.063.624.675.295.933.734.624.044.264.02
Inventory Turnover5.173.974.046.975.464.214.955.84.994.09
Days Sales Outstanding47.7558.5857.2846.3246.7859.7458.0963.0664.1569.53
Days Payables Outstanding72.09100.9578.0968.9861.5397.7578.9990.3685.690.72
Days of Inventory on Hand70.6491.8990.3352.3966.8186.6773.7762.9673.1189.34

SO Historical Market Metrics

10 years
Metric (FY)TTM202420232022202120202019201820172016
Enterprise Value to EBITDA12.3911.7411.831315.0812.479.811.1615.6212.2
Market Cap$101.59B$90.22B$76.57B$76.77B$72.76B$64.99B$67.08B$45.40B$48.46B$48.71B
Enterprise Value$175.69B$155.43B$139.31B$133.98B$126.44B$114.97B$113.79B$90.86B$97.12B$94.19B
Dividend Yield3.40%3.27%3.96%3.79%3.82%4.13%3.83%5.34%4.75%4.32%
Payout Ratio66.57%67.12%76.33%82.23%115.32%85.67%54.06%108.16%261.36%84.40%

Frequently Asked Questions

How does The Southern Company’s P/E ratio compare with its history?

On this page, SO's current P/E is 21.2, compared with a multi-year average around 24.3. A lower P/E versus its own history is a calculated gap versus that average—not a conclusion that the stock is cheap. Pair it with profitability and earnings quality in the table (for example ROE/ROIC) to see whether the multiple moved with earnings.

What is The Southern Company market cap?

Market cap is the market value of a company's equity and is commonly calculated as share price multiplied by shares outstanding. The latest market cap shown in the table is $101.59B. Pair market cap with valuation multiples (P/E, P/B, P/S) so you can evaluate whether size also corresponds with "quality" and profitability. For a wider view across stocks, you can also use the stock screener.

How does The Southern Company’s P/E compare with its industry?

There is no P/E Tickerplace rates as good. Compare the P/E on this page with The Southern Company's own historical range (in the table) and with peers via the Screener and Compare tools. A higher or lower multiple versus peers is a calculated gap, not a recommendation.

How does The Southern Company compare to its competitors in key financial ratios?

The fastest way to compare The Southern Company with competitors is to use the built-in "Peers Comparison" section on this page and the Compare tool. Focus on a small set of ratios that work together: P/E for valuation, ROE/ROIC for profitability and capital efficiency, current ratio and interest coverage for liquidity and solvency, and debt-to-equity for leverage risk. When you see The Southern Company outperform peers on profitability while keeping valuation and leverage reasonable, it often signals stronger fundamentals.

What do The Southern Company's liquidity and leverage ratios show?

Liquidity and leverage figures on this page are published ratios, not a verdict that The Southern Company is financially strong. Current ratio is about 0.79, which is below 1.0 and can suggest tighter short-term liquidity. Interest coverage is about 2.22, implying a stronger ability to cover interest expenses. Debt-to-equity is about 1.95, suggesting higher leverage than a low-debt profile. Pair them with ROE/ROIC and cash-flow rows in the table. Tickerplace does not rate the company as a good or poor investment.

What do The Southern Company's financial ratios say about its future growth?

Ratios are a way to see what the business is likely to sustain. Look for upward trends in profitability metrics (ROE and ROIC), improving earnings/cash-flow backed measures, and stable or strengthening liquidity. If The Southern Company is sustaining strong returns (for example ROE at 12.61% and ROIC at 4.14%) while debt levels and interest coverage remain manageable, growth expectations may be more credible. If valuation multiples expand while returns weaken, the market may be pricing optimistic growth ahead of results.