EIX vs. SO: Edison vs. Southern Company Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Edison (EIX) 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

Edison (EIX) 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 Edison (EIX) and Southern Company (SO)
Profile Item	EIX	SO
Name	Edison International	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	22.84 billion USD	107.51 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	May 3, 1973	December 31, 1981
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

EIX

GSPC

Edison (EIX) 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 Edison (EIX) and Southern Company (SO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Edison (EIX) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	EIX	SO
Total Return (1Y)	11.26%	6.21%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	3.52%	15.28%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	3.43%	12.24%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

EIX

GSPC

Edison (EIX) 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 Edison (EIX) and Southern Company (SO). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Edison (EIX) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	EIX	SO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	36.47%	17.95%
Beta (5Y)	0.55	0.30
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-43.88%	-23.28%
Avg. Volume (3M)	5.15M	6.19M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

EIX 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 Edison (EIX) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	EIX	SO
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.19	0.11
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.23	0.16

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Edison (EIX) at 18.76% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Southern Company (SO) at 11.90%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

EIX

Utilities industry group

18.76%

EIX: 18.76%
Max: 17.99%
Q3: 12.01%
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%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Edison (EIX) at 19.60% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Southern Company (SO) at 16.00%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

EIX

Utilities industry group

19.60%

Max: 28.78%
EIX: 19.60%
Q3: 17.30%
Median: 12.73%
Q1: 9.18%
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%

Edison (EIX) 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 Edison (EIX) at 21.53%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

EIX

Utilities industry group

21.53%

Max: 53.83%
Q3: 31.12%
Median: 23.62%
EIX: 21.53%
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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Edison (EIX) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	EIX	SO
ROE (TTM)	18.76%	11.90%
ROA (TTM)	3.49%	3.36%
Net Margin (TTM)	19.60%	16.00%
Operating Margin (TTM)	21.53%	36.92%
Gross Margin (TTM)	59.44%	48.55%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Edison (EIX) at 9.76% and Southern Company (SO) at 10.59% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

Edison (EIX) at 248.94% clears its industry range for EPS growth, a much stronger earnings trajectory than Southern Company (SO) at -1.75%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Edison (EIX) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	EIX	SO
Revenue Growth (YoY)	9.76%	10.59%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	3.90%	0.31%
EPS Growth (YoY)	248.94%	-1.75%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	93.27%	6.34%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Edison (EIX) at 0.77 and Southern Company (SO) at 0.84 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

EIX

Utilities industry group

0.77

Max: 1.90
Q3: 1.17
Median: 0.88
EIX: 0.77
Q1: 0.66
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

Edison (EIX) 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 Edison (EIX) at 2.20 uses more debt funding than most peers.

EIX

Utilities industry group

2.20

Max: 2.63
EIX: 2.20
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

Edison (EIX) 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 Edison (EIX) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	EIX	SO
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.77	0.84
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.20	1.68
Net Debt / EBITDA	5.26	5.01

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Edison (EIX) at 5.76% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Southern Company (SO) at 3.21% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, EIX the richer one.

EIX

Utilities industry group

5.76%

Max: 6.66%
EIX: 5.76%
Q3: 3.58%
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%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Edison (EIX) at 37.30% and Southern Company (SO) at 68.49% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

EIX

Utilities industry group

37.30%

Max: 113.04%
Q3: 68.72%
Median: 56.38%
EIX: 37.30%
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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Edison (EIX) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	EIX	SO
Dividend Yield (TTM)	5.76%	3.21%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	37.30%	68.49%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Edison (EIX) at 6.31 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Southern Company (SO) at 21.08 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for EIX, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

EIX

Utilities industry group

6.31

Max: 31.22
Q3: 23.30
Median: 19.64
Q1: 15.17
EIX: 6.31
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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Edison (EIX) at 1.23 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Southern Company (SO) at 3.45 prices around its industry’s middle — EIX costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

EIX

Utilities industry group

1.23

Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.63
Median: 2.63
Q1: 1.52
EIX: 1.23
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

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Edison (EIX) at 1.28 looks cheap against book in the lower P/B ratio quartile, while Southern Company (SO) at 2.56 carries a premium in the upper quartile — a clear price-to-book gap.

EIX

Utilities industry group

1.28

Max: 3.12
Q3: 2.21
Median: 1.83
Q1: 1.46
EIX: 1.28
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Edison (EIX) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	EIX	SO
P/E Ratio (TTM)	6.31	21.08
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.23	3.45
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.28	2.56
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-0.77%	-4.73%