SO vs. VST: Southern Company vs. Vistra Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Southern Company (SO) and Vistra (VST) 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

Southern Company (SO) and Vistra (VST) both fall under the Utilities industry group, but SO is classified in Electric Utilities while VST is classified in Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers.

Company profile comparison for Southern Company (SO) and Vistra (VST)
Profile Item	SO	VST
Name	The Southern Company	Vistra Corp.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry Group	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry	Electric Utilities	Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers
GICS Sub-Industry	Electric Utilities	Independent Power Producers & Energy Traders
Market Capitalization	107.51 billion USD	42.31 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	December 31, 1981	October 5, 2016
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

VST

GSPC

Southern Company (SO) vs. Vistra (VST), 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 Southern Company (SO) and Vistra (VST). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Southern Company (SO) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	SO	VST
Total Return (1Y)	6.21%	-30.09%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	15.28%	57.95%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	12.24%	49.55%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

VST

GSPC

Southern Company (SO) vs. Vistra (VST), 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 Southern Company (SO) and Vistra (VST). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Vistra (VST) has an aggressive beta of 1.38, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Southern Company (SO) is defensive at 0.30 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Southern Company (SO) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	SO	VST
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	17.95%	53.39%
Beta (5Y)	0.30	1.38
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-23.28%	-48.80%
Avg. Volume (3M)	6.19M	5.98M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

SO and VST 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 Southern Company (SO) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	SO	VST
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.11	-0.64
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.16	-0.86

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

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

SO

Utilities industry group

11.90%

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

VST

Utilities industry group

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

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Southern Company (SO) at 16.00% and Vistra (VST) at 13.15% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

SO

Utilities industry group

16.00%

Max: 28.78%
Q3: 17.30%
SO: 16.00%
Median: 12.73%
Q1: 9.18%
Min: -0.20%

VST

Utilities industry group

13.15%

Max: 28.78%
Q3: 17.30%
VST: 13.15%
Median: 12.73%
Q1: 9.18%
Min: -0.20%

Southern Company (SO) vs. Vistra (VST): 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 Vistra (VST) at 31.12%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

SO

Utilities industry group

36.92%

Max: 53.83%
SO: 36.92%
Q3: 31.12%
Median: 23.62%
Q1: 15.45%
Min: -4.90%

VST

Utilities industry group

31.12%

Max: 53.83%
Q3: 31.12%
VST: 31.12%
Median: 23.62%
Q1: 15.45%
Min: -4.90%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Southern Company (SO) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	SO	VST
ROE (TTM)	11.90%	--
ROA (TTM)	3.36%	--
Net Margin (TTM)	16.00%	13.15%
Operating Margin (TTM)	36.92%	31.12%
Gross Margin (TTM)	48.55%	41.52%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Southern Company (SO) at 10.59% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Vistra (VST) at 2.98% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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

EPS Growth

Southern Company (SO) at -1.75% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Vistra (VST) at -69.98% falls below its industry range, a notably weak earnings reading.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Southern Company (SO) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	SO	VST
Revenue Growth (YoY)	10.59%	2.98%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	0.31%	8.92%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-1.75%	-69.98%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	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 Vistra (VST) has no reading this period.

SO

Utilities industry group

0.84

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

VST

Utilities industry group

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

Southern Company (SO) vs. Vistra (VST): VST 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 is near its industry mid-range for debt-to-equity ratio, while Vistra (VST) at 3.73 sits above its benchmark range, pointing to a heavier debt load relative to equity.

SO

Utilities industry group

1.68

Max: 2.63
Q3: 1.77
SO: 1.68
Median: 1.35
Q1: 0.84
Min: 0.00

VST

Utilities industry group

3.73

VST: 3.73
Max: 2.63
Q3: 1.77
Median: 1.35
Q1: 0.84
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Southern Company (SO) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	SO	VST
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.84	--
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.68	3.73
Net Debt / EBITDA	5.01	--

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Southern Company (SO) at 3.21% pays a yield in its industry’s typical range, while Vistra (VST) at 0.20% falls in the bottom quartile of its peers.

SO

Utilities industry group

3.21%

Max: 6.66%
Q3: 3.58%
SO: 3.21%
Median: 2.85%
Q1: 0.66%
Min: 0.00%

VST

Utilities industry group

0.20%

Max: 6.66%
Q3: 3.58%
Median: 2.85%
Q1: 0.66%
VST: 0.20%
Min: 0.00%

Southern Company (SO) vs. Vistra (VST): 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; Vistra (VST) at 15.35% pays out less than peers usually do, retaining more of its earnings — a policy difference more than a quality gap.

SO

Utilities industry group

68.49%

Max: 113.04%
Q3: 68.72%
SO: 68.49%
Median: 56.38%
Q1: 32.38%
Min: 0.00%

VST

Utilities industry group

15.35%

Max: 113.04%
Q3: 68.72%
Median: 56.38%
Q1: 32.38%
VST: 15.35%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Southern Company (SO) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	SO	VST
Dividend Yield (TTM)	3.21%	0.20%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	68.49%	15.35%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Southern Company (SO) at 21.08 and Vistra (VST) at 16.80 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

SO

Utilities industry group

21.08

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

VST

Utilities industry group

16.80

Max: 31.22
Q3: 23.30
Median: 19.64
VST: 16.80
Q1: 15.17
Min: 3.34

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Southern Company (SO) at 3.45 and Vistra (VST) at 2.05 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

SO

Utilities industry group

3.45

Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.63
SO: 3.45
Median: 2.63
Q1: 1.52
Min: 0.00

VST

Utilities industry group

2.05

Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.63
Median: 2.63
VST: 2.05
Q1: 1.52
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Southern Company (SO) at 2.56 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Vistra (VST) at 16.10 prices even higher, above its industry range.

SO

Utilities industry group

2.56

Max: 3.12
SO: 2.56
Q3: 2.21
Median: 1.83
Q1: 1.46
Min: 0.34

VST

Utilities industry group

16.10

VST: 16.10
Max: 3.12
Q3: 2.21
Median: 1.83
Q1: 1.46
Min: 0.34

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Southern Company (SO) and Vistra (VST)
Metric	SO	VST
P/E Ratio (TTM)	21.08	16.80
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.45	2.05
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.56	16.10
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-4.73%	--