KEP vs. SO: Korea Electric Power vs. Southern Company Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Korea Electric Power (KEP) 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

Korea Electric Power (KEP) 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.

Southern Company (SO) trades as ordinary local shares, while Korea Electric Power (KEP) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Korea Electric Power (KEP) and Southern Company (SO)
Profile Item	KEP	SO
Name	Korea Electric Power Corporation Sponsored ADR	The Southern Company
Country/Region	South Korea	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	14.38 billion USD	107.51 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	October 27, 1994	December 31, 1981
Security Type	ADR	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

KEP

GSPC

Korea Electric Power (KEP) 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

Loading price history…

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

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Korea Electric Power (KEP) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	KEP	SO
Total Return (1Y)	-25.98%	6.21%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	20.85%	15.28%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	2.90%	12.24%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

KEP

GSPC

Korea Electric Power (KEP) 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

Loading price history…

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Korea Electric Power (KEP) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	KEP	SO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	46.68%	17.95%
Beta (5Y)	0.97	0.30
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-55.55%	-23.28%
Avg. Volume (3M)	949.70K	6.19M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

KEP 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 Korea Electric Power (KEP) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	KEP	SO
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.65	0.11
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.93	0.16

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Korea Electric Power (KEP) at 16.60% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Southern Company (SO) at 11.90% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for KEP.

KEP

Utilities industry group

16.60%

Max: 17.99%
KEP: 16.60%
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%

Korea Electric Power (KEP) 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 Korea Electric Power (KEP) at 8.04% retains only a bottom-quartile share.

KEP

Utilities industry group

8.04%

Max: 28.78%
Q3: 17.30%
Median: 12.73%
Q1: 9.18%
KEP: 8.04%
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%

Korea Electric Power (KEP) 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% carries a top-quartile operating margin, while Korea Electric Power (KEP) at 4.73% operates in the bottom quartile.

KEP

Utilities industry group

4.73%

Max: 53.83%
Q3: 31.12%
Median: 23.62%
Q1: 15.45%
KEP: 4.73%
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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Korea Electric Power (KEP) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	KEP	SO
ROE (TTM)	16.60%	11.90%
ROA (TTM)	3.04%	3.36%
Net Margin (TTM)	8.04%	16.00%
Operating Margin (TTM)	4.73%	36.92%
Gross Margin (TTM)	15.97%	48.55%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Korea Electric Power (KEP) at 4.31% 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.

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

EPS Growth

Korea Electric Power (KEP) at 144.73% 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.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Korea Electric Power (KEP) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	KEP	SO
Revenue Growth (YoY)	4.31%	10.59%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	11.03%	0.31%
EPS Growth (YoY)	144.73%	-1.75%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	6.34%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Southern Company (SO) at 0.84 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Korea Electric Power (KEP) at 0.44 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for KEP.

KEP

Utilities industry group

0.44

Max: 1.90
Q3: 1.17
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.66
KEP: 0.44
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

Korea Electric Power (KEP) 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 Korea Electric Power (KEP) at 2.63 uses more debt funding than most peers.

KEP

Utilities industry group

2.63

KEP: 2.63
Max: 2.63
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

Korea Electric Power (KEP) 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 Korea Electric Power (KEP) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	KEP	SO
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.44	0.84
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.63	1.68
Net Debt / EBITDA	5.13	5.01

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Southern Company (SO) at 3.21% pays an industry-typical yield; Korea Electric Power (KEP) at 13,891.89% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

KEP

Utilities industry group

13,891.89%

KEP: 13,891.89%
Max: 6.66%
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%

Korea Electric Power (KEP) 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% keeps its payout within the industry’s typical band; Korea Electric Power (KEP) at 12.22% pays out less than peers usually do, retaining more of its earnings — a policy difference more than a quality gap.

KEP

Utilities industry group

12.22%

Max: 113.04%
Q3: 68.72%
Median: 56.38%
Q1: 32.38%
KEP: 12.22%
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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Korea Electric Power (KEP) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	KEP	SO
Dividend Yield (TTM)	13,891.89%	3.21%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	12.22%	68.49%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Korea Electric Power (KEP) at 2.66 trades below its industry P/E ratio range, while Southern Company (SO) at 21.08 is closer to a normal peer multiple — a clearer earnings-valuation discount for KEP, subject to growth and earnings quality.

KEP

Utilities industry group

2.66

Max: 31.22
Q3: 23.30
Median: 19.64
Q1: 15.17
Min: 3.34
KEP: 2.66

SO

Utilities industry group

21.08

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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Korea Electric Power (KEP) at 0.00 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Southern Company (SO) at 3.45 prices around its industry’s middle — KEP costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

KEP

Utilities industry group

0.00

Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.63
Median: 2.63
Q1: 1.52
KEP: 0.00
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

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Korea Electric Power (KEP) at 0.38 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.

KEP

Utilities industry group

0.38

Max: 3.12
Q3: 2.21
Median: 1.83
Q1: 1.46
KEP: 0.38
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Korea Electric Power (KEP) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	KEP	SO
P/E Ratio (TTM)	2.66	21.08
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.00	3.45
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	0.38	2.56
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	4,799.31%	-4.73%