SO vs. SRE: Southern Company vs. Sempra Stock Comparison

June 13, 2026

This page compares Southern Company (SO) with Sempra (SRE) using performance and risk, profitability, financial strength, growth, dividends, and valuation metrics.

Performance

Cumulative Growth

SRE

Southern Company (SO) vs. Sempra (SRE): 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 Southern Company (SO) and Sempra (SRE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Performance at a Glance

Performance metrics for Southern Company (SO) and Sempra (SRE)
Metric	SO	SRE
1-Year Return	7.43%	24.76%

Risk

Drawdown

SRE

Southern Company (SO) vs. Sempra (SRE): Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Risk at a Glance

Risk metrics for Southern Company (SO) and Sempra (SRE)
Metric	SO	SRE
1-Year Volatility	16.19%	19.84%
Beta	0.34	0.56
3-Month Avg. Volume	5.30M	3.48M

Company Profile

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

Company profile comparison for Southern Company (SO) and Sempra (SRE)
Profile Item	SO	SRE
Name	The Southern Company	Sempra
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry Group	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry	Electric Utilities	Multi-Utilities
GICS Sub-Industry	Electric Utilities	Multi-Utilities
Market Capitalization	105.97 billion USD	60.33 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	December 31, 1981	June 29, 1998
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Valuation

Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)

Both Southern Company (SO) at 24.04 and Sempra (SRE) at 31.39 sit in the richer earnings-multiple quartile for P/E ratio, so investors are paying more for TTM earnings than they pay for typical peers.

SO

Utilities industry group

24.04

Max: 31.39
SO: 24.04
Q3: 22.99
Median: 19.91
Q1: 16.35
Min: 7.60

SRE

Utilities industry group

31.39

SRE: 31.39
Max: 31.39
Q3: 22.99
Median: 19.91
Q1: 16.35
Min: 7.60

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

Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)

Southern Company (SO) at 3.51 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Sempra (SRE) at 4.45 sits in the pricier quartile — SRE costs more per dollar of sales.

SO

Utilities industry group

3.51

Max: 6.44
Q3: 3.60
SO: 3.51
Median: 2.62
Q1: 1.64
Min: 0.00

SRE

Utilities industry group

4.45

Max: 6.44
SRE: 4.45
Q3: 3.60
Median: 2.62
Q1: 1.64
Min: 0.00

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

Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)

Sempra (SRE) at 1.91 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Southern Company (SO) at 2.85 carries an above-peer premium to book — SO is pricier on assets.

SO

Utilities industry group

2.85

Max: 3.79
SO: 2.85
Q3: 2.41
Median: 1.90
Q1: 1.42
Min: 0.34

SRE

Utilities industry group

1.91

Max: 3.79
Q3: 2.41
SRE: 1.91
Median: 1.90
Q1: 1.42
Min: 0.34

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

Valuation at a Glance

Valuation metrics for Southern Company (SO) and Sempra (SRE)
Metric	SO	SRE
Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)	24.04	31.39
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)	3.51	4.45
Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)	2.85	1.91
Free Cash Flow Yield	-3.73%	-46.81%

Profitability

Return on Equity (TTM)

Southern Company (SO) at 10.99% is around its peer norm for ROE, while Sempra (SRE) at 5.69% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker returns on shareholders’ equity.

SO

Utilities industry group

10.99%

Max: 16.11%
Q3: 11.15%
SO: 10.99%
Median: 9.46%
Q1: 7.50%
Min: 2.67%

SRE

Utilities industry group

5.69%

Max: 16.11%
Q3: 11.15%
Median: 9.46%
Q1: 7.50%
SRE: 5.69%
Min: 2.67%

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

Net Profit Margin (TTM)

Both Southern Company (SO) at 14.46% and Sempra (SRE) at 14.43% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

SO

Utilities industry group

14.46%

Max: 29.37%
Q3: 17.31%
SO: 14.46%
Median: 12.55%
Q1: 9.24%
Min: -0.65%

SRE

Utilities industry group

14.43%

Max: 29.37%
Q3: 17.31%
SRE: 14.43%
Median: 12.55%
Q1: 9.24%
Min: -0.65%

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

Operating Profit Margin (TTM)

Sempra (SRE) at 30.62% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Southern Company (SO) at 25.82%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

SO

Utilities industry group

25.82%

Max: 43.52%
Q3: 30.09%
SO: 25.82%
Median: 23.50%
Q1: 16.61%
Min: 0.00%

SRE

Utilities industry group

30.62%

Max: 43.52%
SRE: 30.62%
Q3: 30.09%
Median: 23.50%
Q1: 16.61%
Min: 0.00%

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

Profitability at a Glance

Profitability metrics for Southern Company (SO) and Sempra (SRE)
Metric	SO	SRE
Return on Equity (TTM)	10.99%	5.69%
Return on Assets (TTM)	3.24%	1.81%
Net Profit Margin (TTM)	14.46%	14.43%
Operating Profit Margin (TTM)	25.82%	30.62%
Gross Profit Margin (TTM)	48.00%	42.46%

Growth

Revenue Growth

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

Revenue Growth at a Glance

Revenue growth metrics for Southern Company (SO) and Sempra (SRE)
Metric	SO	SRE
1-Year Revenue Growth	10.59%	3.92%
3-Year Revenue CAGR	0.31%	-1.73%

EPS Growth

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

EPS Growth at a Glance

EPS growth metrics for Southern Company (SO) and Sempra (SRE)
Metric	SO	SRE
1-Year EPS Growth	-1.75%	-37.78%
3-Year EPS CAGR	6.34%	-5.99%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Sempra (SRE) at 1.69 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Southern Company (SO) at 0.65 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

SO

Utilities industry group

0.65

Max: 1.88
Q3: 1.16
Median: 0.90
Q1: 0.65
SO: 0.65
Min: 0.33

SRE

Utilities industry group

1.69

Max: 1.88
SRE: 1.69
Q3: 1.16
Median: 0.90
Q1: 0.65
Min: 0.33

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

Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)

Sempra (SRE) at 0.85 keeps leverage in the lower quartile, while Southern Company (SO) at 1.90 sits in the higher-leverage quartile.

SO

Utilities industry group

1.90

Max: 3.02
SO: 1.90
Q3: 1.81
Median: 1.34
Q1: 0.85
Min: 0.00

SRE

Utilities industry group

0.85

Max: 3.02
Q3: 1.81
Median: 1.34
Q1: 0.85
SRE: 0.85
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength at a Glance

Financial strength metrics for Southern Company (SO) and Sempra (SRE)
Metric	SO	SRE
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.65	1.69
Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)	1.90	0.85
Net Debt / EBITDA	5.37	6.34

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Southern Company (SO) at 3.23% and Sempra (SRE) at 2.85% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

SO

Utilities industry group

3.23%

Max: 6.25%
Q3: 3.95%
SO: 3.23%
Median: 3.10%
Q1: 2.33%
Min: 0.00%

SRE

Utilities industry group

2.85%

Max: 6.25%
Q3: 3.95%
Median: 3.10%
SRE: 2.85%
Q1: 2.33%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Southern Company (SO) at 75.70% and Sempra (SRE) at 88.18% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

SO

Utilities industry group

75.70%

Max: 116.67%
SO: 75.70%
Q3: 73.40%
Median: 58.69%
Q1: 36.87%
Min: 0.00%

SRE

Utilities industry group

88.18%

Max: 116.67%
SRE: 88.18%
Q3: 73.40%
Median: 58.69%
Q1: 36.87%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividends at a Glance

Dividend metrics for Southern Company (SO) and Sempra (SRE)
Metric	SO	SRE
Dividend Yield (TTM)	3.23%	2.85%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	75.70%	88.18%