ES vs. SO: Eversource Energy vs. Southern Company Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Eversource Energy (ES) 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

Eversource Energy (ES) 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 Eversource Energy (ES) and Southern Company (SO)
Profile Item	ES	SO
Name	Eversource Energy	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	26.31 billion USD	107.51 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	February 21, 1973	December 31, 1981
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GSPC

Eversource Energy (ES) 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 Eversource Energy (ES) and Southern Company (SO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Eversource Energy (ES) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	ES	SO
Total Return (1Y)	0.35%	6.21%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	14.06%	15.28%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	0.61%	12.24%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Eversource Energy (ES) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	ES	SO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	24.60%	17.95%
Beta (5Y)	0.65	0.30
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-41.69%	-23.28%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.53M	6.19M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ES 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 Eversource Energy (ES) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	ES	SO
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.16	0.11
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.20	0.16

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Southern Company (SO) earns 11.90% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Eversource Energy (ES) has no ROE this period.

ES

Utilities industry group

Max: 17.99%
Q3: 12.01%
Median: 9.44%
Q1: 7.56%
Min: 2.17%
ES: --

SO

Utilities industry group

11.90%

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

Eversource Energy (ES) vs. Southern Company (SO): ES does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; SO is benchmarked against the Utilities industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Eversource Energy (ES) at 10.38% and Southern Company (SO) at 16.00% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

ES

Utilities industry group

10.38%

Max: 28.78%
Q3: 17.30%
Median: 12.73%
ES: 10.38%
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%

Eversource Energy (ES) 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 Eversource Energy (ES) at 21.14%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

ES

Utilities industry group

21.14%

Max: 53.83%
Q3: 31.12%
Median: 23.62%
ES: 21.14%
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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Eversource Energy (ES) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	ES	SO
ROE (TTM)	--	11.90%
ROA (TTM)	--	3.36%
Net Margin (TTM)	10.38%	16.00%
Operating Margin (TTM)	21.14%	36.92%
Gross Margin (TTM)	51.63%	48.55%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Eversource Energy (ES) at 13.83% 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 ES.

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

EPS Growth

Eversource Energy (ES) at 100.88% 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.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Eversource Energy (ES) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	ES	SO
Revenue Growth (YoY)	13.83%	10.59%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	3.30%	0.31%
EPS Growth (YoY)	100.88%	-1.75%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.03%	6.34%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Short-term liquidity can only be read on one side of this pairing: Southern Company (SO) shows current ratio of 0.84 against its industry benchmark, while Eversource Energy (ES) has no reading this period.

ES

Utilities industry group

Max: 1.90
Q3: 1.17
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.66
Min: 0.29
ES: --

SO

Utilities industry group

0.84

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

Eversource Energy (ES) vs. Southern Company (SO): ES does not report current ratio, so it has no value marker; SO is benchmarked against the Utilities industry group.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Southern Company (SO) at 1.68 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Eversource Energy (ES) at 1.81 uses more debt funding than most peers.

ES

Utilities industry group

1.81

Max: 2.63
ES: 1.81
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

Eversource Energy (ES) 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 Eversource Energy (ES) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	ES	SO
Current Ratio (MRQ)	--	0.84
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.81	1.68
Net Debt / EBITDA	5.73	5.01

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Eversource Energy (ES) at 4.33% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Southern Company (SO) at 3.21% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, ES the richer one.

ES

Utilities industry group

4.33%

Max: 6.66%
ES: 4.33%
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%

Eversource Energy (ES) 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 Eversource Energy (ES) at 82.19% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

ES

Utilities industry group

82.19%

Max: 113.04%
ES: 82.19%
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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Eversource Energy (ES) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	ES	SO
Dividend Yield (TTM)	4.33%	3.21%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	82.19%	68.49%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Eversource Energy (ES) at 18.43 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.

ES

Utilities industry group

18.43

Max: 31.22
Q3: 23.30
Median: 19.64
ES: 18.43
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

Eversource Energy (ES) 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 Eversource Energy (ES) at 1.91 and Southern Company (SO) at 3.45 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

ES

Utilities industry group

1.91

Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.63
Median: 2.63
ES: 1.91
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

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Eversource Energy (ES) at 1.61 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Southern Company (SO) at 2.56 carries an above-peer premium to book — SO is pricier on assets.

ES

Utilities industry group

1.61

Max: 3.12
Q3: 2.21
Median: 1.83
ES: 1.61
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Eversource Energy (ES) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	ES	SO
P/E Ratio (TTM)	18.43	21.08
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.91	3.45
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.61	2.56
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	--	-4.73%