DTE vs. SO: DTE Energy vs. Southern Company Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do DTE Energy (DTE) 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

DTE Energy (DTE) and Southern Company (SO) both fall under the Utilities industry group, but DTE is classified in Multi-Utilities while SO is classified in Electric Utilities.

Company profile comparison for DTE Energy (DTE) and Southern Company (SO)
Profile Item	DTE	SO
Name	DTE Energy Company	The Southern Company
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry Group	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry	Multi-Utilities	Electric Utilities
GICS Sub-Industry	Multi-Utilities	Electric Utilities
Market Capitalization	28.12 billion USD	107.51 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	December 31, 1981
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DTE

GSPC

DTE Energy (DTE) vs. Southern Company (SO), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: 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 DTE Energy (DTE) and Southern Company (SO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for DTE Energy (DTE) and Southern Company (SO). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for DTE Energy (DTE) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	DTE	SO
Total Return (1Y)	4.52%	6.21%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	15.85%	15.28%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	7.71%	12.24%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

DTE

GSPC

DTE Energy (DTE) vs. Southern Company (SO), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for DTE Energy (DTE) and Southern Company (SO). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for DTE Energy (DTE) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	DTE	SO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	17.96%	17.95%
Beta (5Y)	0.34	0.30
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-28.92%	-23.28%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.52M	6.19M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

DTE and SO are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for DTE Energy (DTE) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	DTE	SO
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.01	0.11
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.02	0.16

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both DTE Energy (DTE) at 11.02% and Southern Company (SO) at 11.90% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

DTE

Utilities industry group

11.02%

Max: 17.99%
Q3: 12.01%
DTE: 11.02%
Median: 9.44%
Q1: 7.56%
Min: 2.17%

SO

Utilities industry group

11.90%

Max: 17.99%
Q3: 12.01%
SO: 11.90%
Median: 9.44%
Q1: 7.56%
Min: 2.17%

DTE Energy (DTE) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their ROE against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Southern Company (SO) at 16.00% keeps about the industry-typical share of revenue as profit, while DTE Energy (DTE) at 8.21% retains only a bottom-quartile share.

DTE

Utilities industry group

8.21%

Max: 28.78%
Q3: 17.30%
Median: 12.73%
Q1: 9.18%
DTE: 8.21%
Min: -0.20%

SO

Utilities industry group

16.00%

Max: 28.78%
Q3: 17.30%
SO: 16.00%
Median: 12.73%
Q1: 9.18%
Min: -0.20%

DTE Energy (DTE) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their net margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Southern Company (SO) at 36.92% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of DTE Energy (DTE) at 16.21%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

DTE

Utilities industry group

16.21%

Max: 53.83%
Q3: 31.12%
Median: 23.62%
DTE: 16.21%
Q1: 15.45%
Min: -4.90%

SO

Utilities industry group

36.92%

Max: 53.83%
SO: 36.92%
Q3: 31.12%
Median: 23.62%
Q1: 15.45%
Min: -4.90%

DTE Energy (DTE) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for DTE Energy (DTE) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	DTE	SO
ROE (TTM)	11.02%	11.90%
ROA (TTM)	2.62%	3.36%
Net Margin (TTM)	8.21%	16.00%
Operating Margin (TTM)	16.21%	36.92%
Gross Margin (TTM)	28.89%	48.55%

Growth

Revenue Growth

DTE Energy (DTE) at 26.95% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Southern Company (SO) at 10.59% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for DTE.

DTE Energy (DTE) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both DTE Energy (DTE) at 3.84% and Southern Company (SO) at -1.75% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

DTE Energy (DTE) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for DTE Energy (DTE) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	DTE	SO
Revenue Growth (YoY)	26.95%	10.59%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-6.31%	0.31%
EPS Growth (YoY)	3.84%	-1.75%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	8.39%	6.34%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Southern Company (SO) at 0.84 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while DTE Energy (DTE) at 0.62 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for DTE.

DTE

Utilities industry group

0.62

Max: 1.90
Q3: 1.17
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.66
DTE: 0.62
Min: 0.29

SO

Utilities industry group

0.84

Max: 1.90
Q3: 1.17
Median: 0.88
SO: 0.84
Q1: 0.66
Min: 0.29

DTE Energy (DTE) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their current ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Southern Company (SO) at 1.68 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while DTE Energy (DTE) at 2.27 uses more debt funding than most peers.

DTE

Utilities industry group

2.27

Max: 2.63
DTE: 2.27
Q3: 1.77
Median: 1.35
Q1: 0.84
Min: 0.00

SO

Utilities industry group

1.68

Max: 2.63
Q3: 1.77
SO: 1.68
Median: 1.35
Q1: 0.84
Min: 0.00

DTE Energy (DTE) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for DTE Energy (DTE) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	DTE	SO
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.62	0.84
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.27	1.68
Net Debt / EBITDA	8.00	5.01

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both DTE Energy (DTE) at 3.46% and Southern Company (SO) at 3.21% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

DTE

Utilities industry group

3.46%

Max: 6.66%
Q3: 3.58%
DTE: 3.46%
Median: 2.85%
Q1: 0.66%
Min: 0.00%

SO

Utilities industry group

3.21%

Max: 6.66%
Q3: 3.58%
SO: 3.21%
Median: 2.85%
Q1: 0.66%
Min: 0.00%

DTE Energy (DTE) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Southern Company (SO) at 68.49% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while DTE Energy (DTE) at 71.04% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

DTE

Utilities industry group

71.04%

Max: 113.04%
DTE: 71.04%
Q3: 68.72%
Median: 56.38%
Q1: 32.38%
Min: 0.00%

SO

Utilities industry group

68.49%

Max: 113.04%
Q3: 68.72%
SO: 68.49%
Median: 56.38%
Q1: 32.38%
Min: 0.00%

DTE Energy (DTE) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for DTE Energy (DTE) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	DTE	SO
Dividend Yield (TTM)	3.46%	3.21%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	71.04%	68.49%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both DTE Energy (DTE) at 20.59 and Southern Company (SO) at 21.08 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

DTE

Utilities industry group

20.59

Max: 31.22
Q3: 23.30
DTE: 20.59
Median: 19.64
Q1: 15.17
Min: 3.34

SO

Utilities industry group

21.08

Max: 31.22
Q3: 23.30
SO: 21.08
Median: 19.64
Q1: 15.17
Min: 3.34

DTE Energy (DTE) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both DTE Energy (DTE) at 1.69 and Southern Company (SO) at 3.45 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

DTE

Utilities industry group

1.69

Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.63
Median: 2.63
DTE: 1.69
Q1: 1.52
Min: 0.00

SO

Utilities industry group

3.45

Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.63
SO: 3.45
Median: 2.63
Q1: 1.52
Min: 0.00

DTE Energy (DTE) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both DTE Energy (DTE) at 2.22 and Southern Company (SO) at 2.56 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

DTE

Utilities industry group

2.22

Max: 3.12
DTE: 2.22
Q3: 2.21
Median: 1.83
Q1: 1.46
Min: 0.34

SO

Utilities industry group

2.56

Max: 3.12
SO: 2.56
Q3: 2.21
Median: 1.83
Q1: 1.46
Min: 0.34

DTE Energy (DTE) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for DTE Energy (DTE) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	DTE	SO
P/E Ratio (TTM)	20.59	21.08
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.69	3.45
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.22	2.56
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-9.61%	-4.73%