AEP vs. SO: American Electric Power vs. Southern Company Stock Comparison

June 25, 2026

How do American Electric Power (AEP) and Southern Company (SO) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

American Electric Power (AEP) and Southern Company (SO) are both classified in the Electric Utilities sub-industry within the broader Electric Utilities industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for American Electric Power (AEP) and Southern Company (SO)
Profile Item	AEP	SO
Name	American Electric Power Company, Inc.	The Southern Company
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry Group	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry	Electric Utilities	Electric Utilities
GICS Sub-Industry	Electric Utilities	Electric Utilities
Market Capitalization	73.43 billion USD	107.97 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	December 31, 1981
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Performance

Cumulative Growth

AEP

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Southern Company (SO): Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for American Electric Power (AEP) and Southern Company (SO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Performance at a Glance

Performance metrics for American Electric Power (AEP) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	AEP	SO
Total Return (1Y)	34.81%	8.82%

Risk

Drawdown

AEP

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Southern Company (SO): Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Risk at a Glance

Risk metrics for American Electric Power (AEP) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	AEP	SO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	18.56%	16.25%
Beta (5Y)	0.51	0.34
Avg. Volume (3M)	4.18M	5.60M

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

American Electric Power (AEP) at 12.59% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Southern Company (SO) at 10.99% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for AEP.

AEP

Utilities industry group

12.59%

Max: 16.11%
AEP: 12.59%
Q3: 11.15%
Median: 9.46%
Q1: 7.50%
Min: 2.67%

SO

Utilities industry group

10.99%

Max: 16.11%
Q3: 11.15%
SO: 10.99%
Median: 9.46%
Q1: 7.50%
Min: 2.67%

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their ROE against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both American Electric Power (AEP) at 16.29% and Southern Company (SO) at 14.46% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

AEP

Utilities industry group

16.29%

Max: 29.37%
Q3: 17.31%
AEP: 16.29%
Median: 12.55%
Q1: 9.24%
Min: -0.65%

SO

Utilities industry group

14.46%

Max: 29.37%
Q3: 17.31%
SO: 14.46%
Median: 12.55%
Q1: 9.24%
Min: -0.65%

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their net margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both American Electric Power (AEP) at 23.74% and Southern Company (SO) at 25.82% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

AEP

Utilities industry group

23.74%

Max: 43.52%
Q3: 30.09%
AEP: 23.74%
Median: 23.50%
Q1: 16.61%
Min: 0.00%

SO

Utilities industry group

25.82%

Max: 43.52%
Q3: 30.09%
SO: 25.82%
Median: 23.50%
Q1: 16.61%
Min: 0.00%

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability at a Glance

Profitability metrics for American Electric Power (AEP) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	AEP	SO
ROE (TTM)	12.59%	10.99%
ROA (TTM)	3.17%	3.24%
Net Margin (TTM)	16.29%	14.46%
Operating Margin (TTM)	23.74%	25.82%
Gross Margin (TTM)	47.24%	48.00%

Growth

Revenue Growth

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

Revenue Growth at a Glance

Revenue growth metrics for American Electric Power (AEP) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	AEP	SO
Revenue Growth (YoY)	10.93%	10.59%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	3.66%	0.31%

EPS Growth

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth at a Glance

EPS growth metrics for American Electric Power (AEP) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	AEP	SO
EPS Growth (YoY)	19.35%	-1.75%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	14.04%	6.34%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both American Electric Power (AEP) at 0.53 and Southern Company (SO) at 0.65 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

AEP

Utilities industry group

0.53

Max: 1.88
Q3: 1.16
Median: 0.90
Q1: 0.65
AEP: 0.53
Min: 0.33

SO

Utilities industry group

0.65

Max: 1.88
Q3: 1.16
Median: 0.90
Q1: 0.65
SO: 0.65
Min: 0.33

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their current ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

American Electric Power (AEP) at 1.57 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Southern Company (SO) at 1.90 uses more debt funding than most peers.

AEP

Utilities industry group

1.57

Max: 3.02
Q3: 1.81
AEP: 1.57
Median: 1.34
Q1: 0.85
Min: 0.00

SO

Utilities industry group

1.90

Max: 3.02
SO: 1.90
Q3: 1.81
Median: 1.34
Q1: 0.85
Min: 0.00

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength at a Glance

Financial strength metrics for American Electric Power (AEP) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	AEP	SO
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.53	0.65
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.57	1.90
Net Debt / EBITDA	5.61	5.37

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both American Electric Power (AEP) at 2.81% and Southern Company (SO) at 3.12% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

AEP

Utilities industry group

2.81%

Max: 6.04%
Q3: 3.84%
Median: 2.98%
AEP: 2.81%
Q1: 1.88%
Min: 0.00%

SO

Utilities industry group

3.12%

Max: 6.04%
Q3: 3.84%
SO: 3.12%
Median: 2.98%
Q1: 1.88%
Min: 0.00%

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

American Electric Power (AEP) at 55.62% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Southern Company (SO) at 75.70% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

AEP

Utilities industry group

55.62%

Max: 116.67%
Q3: 73.40%
Median: 58.69%
AEP: 55.62%
Q1: 36.87%
Min: 0.00%

SO

Utilities industry group

75.70%

Max: 116.67%
SO: 75.70%
Q3: 73.40%
Median: 58.69%
Q1: 36.87%
Min: 0.00%

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividends at a Glance

Dividend metrics for American Electric Power (AEP) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	AEP	SO
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.81%	3.12%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	55.62%	75.70%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

American Electric Power (AEP) at 19.96 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Southern Company (SO) at 24.50 sits in the richer quartile — SO needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

AEP

Utilities industry group

19.96

Max: 31.16
Q3: 23.44
AEP: 19.96
Median: 19.73
Q1: 15.82
Min: 4.91

SO

Utilities industry group

24.50

Max: 31.16
SO: 24.50
Q3: 23.44
Median: 19.73
Q1: 15.82
Min: 4.91

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

American Electric Power (AEP) at 3.27 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Southern Company (SO) at 3.58 sits in the pricier quartile — SO costs more per dollar of sales.

AEP

Utilities industry group

3.27

Max: 6.04
Q3: 3.54
AEP: 3.27
Median: 2.65
Q1: 1.61
Min: 0.00

SO

Utilities industry group

3.58

Max: 6.04
SO: 3.58
Q3: 3.54
Median: 2.65
Q1: 1.61
Min: 0.00

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

American Electric Power (AEP) at 2.31 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Southern Company (SO) at 2.91 carries an above-peer premium to book — SO is pricier on assets.

AEP

Utilities industry group

2.31

Max: 3.85
Q3: 2.41
AEP: 2.31
Median: 1.89
Q1: 1.41
Min: 0.34

SO

Utilities industry group

2.91

Max: 3.85
SO: 2.91
Q3: 2.41
Median: 1.89
Q1: 1.41
Min: 0.34

American Electric Power (AEP) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation at a Glance

Valuation metrics for American Electric Power (AEP) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	AEP	SO
P/E Ratio (TTM)	19.96	24.50
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.27	3.58
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.31	2.91
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-9.47%	-3.66%