PCG vs. SO: PG&E vs. Southern Company Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do PG&E (PCG) 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

PG&E (PCG) 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 PG&E (PCG) and Southern Company (SO)
Profile Item	PCG	SO
Name	PG&E Corporation	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	28.57 billion USD	107.51 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	June 1, 1972	December 31, 1981
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

PCG

GSPC

PG&E (PCG) 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 PG&E (PCG) and Southern Company (SO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for PG&E (PCG) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	PCG	SO
Total Return (1Y)	-19.03%	6.21%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-6.50%	15.28%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	2.05%	12.24%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

PCG

GSPC

PG&E (PCG) 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 PG&E (PCG) and Southern Company (SO). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for PG&E (PCG) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	PCG	SO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	34.84%	17.95%
Beta (5Y)	0.17	0.30
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-43.92%	-23.28%
Avg. Volume (3M)	39.33M	6.19M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

PCG 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 PG&E (PCG) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	PCG	SO
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.67	0.11
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.81	0.16

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both PG&E (PCG) at 8.89% 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.

PCG

Utilities industry group

8.89%

Max: 17.99%
Q3: 12.01%
Median: 9.44%
PCG: 8.89%
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%

PG&E (PCG) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their ROE against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both PG&E (PCG) at 11.57% 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.

PCG

Utilities industry group

11.57%

Max: 28.78%
Q3: 17.30%
Median: 12.73%
PCG: 11.57%
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%

PG&E (PCG) 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 PG&E (PCG) at 23.64%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

PCG

Utilities industry group

23.64%

Max: 53.83%
Q3: 31.12%
PCG: 23.64%
Median: 23.62%
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%

PG&E (PCG) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for PG&E (PCG) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	PCG	SO
ROE (TTM)	8.89%	11.90%
ROA (TTM)	2.59%	3.36%
Net Margin (TTM)	11.57%	16.00%
Operating Margin (TTM)	23.64%	36.92%
Gross Margin (TTM)	40.57%	48.55%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Southern Company (SO) at 10.59% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while PG&E (PCG) at 2.11% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

PG&E (PCG) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both PG&E (PCG) at 2.61% 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.

PG&E (PCG) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for PG&E (PCG) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	PCG	SO
Revenue Growth (YoY)	2.11%	10.59%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.77%	0.31%
EPS Growth (YoY)	2.61%	-1.75%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	12.00%	6.34%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both PG&E (PCG) at 1.03 and Southern Company (SO) at 0.84 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

PCG

Utilities industry group

1.03

Max: 1.90
Q3: 1.17
PCG: 1.03
Median: 0.88
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

PG&E (PCG) 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 PG&E (PCG) at 1.88 uses more debt funding than most peers.

PCG

Utilities industry group

1.88

Max: 2.63
PCG: 1.88
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

PG&E (PCG) 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 PG&E (PCG) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	PCG	SO
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.03	0.84
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.88	1.68
Net Debt / EBITDA	6.05	5.01

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both PG&E (PCG) at 1.51% and Southern Company (SO) at 3.21% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

PCG

Utilities industry group

1.51%

Max: 6.66%
Q3: 3.58%
Median: 2.85%
PCG: 1.51%
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%

PG&E (PCG) 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; PG&E (PCG) at 14.81% pays out less than peers usually do, retaining more of its earnings — a policy difference more than a quality gap.

PCG

Utilities industry group

14.81%

Max: 113.04%
Q3: 68.72%
Median: 56.38%
Q1: 32.38%
PCG: 14.81%
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%

PG&E (PCG) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for PG&E (PCG) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	PCG	SO
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.51%	3.21%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	14.81%	68.49%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

PG&E (PCG) at 9.61 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 PCG, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

PCG

Utilities industry group

9.61

Max: 31.22
Q3: 23.30
Median: 19.64
Q1: 15.17
PCG: 9.61
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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

PG&E (PCG) at 1.11 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Southern Company (SO) at 3.45 prices around its industry’s middle — PCG costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

PCG

Utilities industry group

1.11

Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.63
Median: 2.63
Q1: 1.52
PCG: 1.11
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

PG&E (PCG) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

PG&E (PCG) at 0.87 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.

PCG

Utilities industry group

0.87

Max: 3.12
Q3: 2.21
Median: 1.83
Q1: 1.46
PCG: 0.87
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

PG&E (PCG) vs. Southern Company (SO): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for PG&E (PCG) and Southern Company (SO)
Metric	PCG	SO
P/E Ratio (TTM)	9.61	21.08
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.11	3.45
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	0.87	2.56
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-22.73%	-4.73%