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SO vs. XEL: Southern Company vs. Xcel Energy Stock Comparison

How do Southern Company (SO) and Xcel Energy (XEL) 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 Xcel Energy (XEL) 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 Southern Company (SO) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
Profile ItemSOXEL
NameThe Southern CompanyXcel Energy Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorUtilitiesUtilities
GICS Industry GroupUtilitiesUtilities
GICS IndustryElectric UtilitiesElectric Utilities
GICS Sub-IndustryElectric UtilitiesElectric Utilities
Market Capitalization107.51 billion USD51.14 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateDecember 31, 1981February 21, 1973
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

SO
XEL
GSPC
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Southern Company (SO) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL), 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 Xcel Energy (XEL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Southern Company (SO) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricSOXEL
Total Return (1Y)6.21%2.65%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)15.28%14.93%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)12.24%8.26%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

SO
XEL
GSPC
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Southern Company (SO) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL), 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 Xcel Energy (XEL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Southern Company (SO) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricSOXEL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)17.95%19.49%
Beta (5Y)0.300.33
Max Drawdown (5Y)-23.28%-34.41%
Avg. Volume (3M)6.19M5.83M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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SO and XEL 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 Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricSOXEL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.11-0.08
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.16-0.12

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Southern Company (SO) at 11.90% and Xcel Energy (XEL) at 11.44% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

SO

Utilities industry group

11.90%

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

XEL

Utilities industry group

11.44%

Max
17.99%
Q3
12.01%
XEL
11.44%
Median
9.44%
Q1
7.56%
Min
2.17%
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Southern Company (SO) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their ROE against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Xcel Energy (XEL) at 17.95% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Southern Company (SO) at 16.00%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

SO

Utilities industry group

16.00%

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

XEL

Utilities industry group

17.95%

Max
28.78%
XEL
17.95%
Q3
17.30%
Median
12.73%
Q1
9.18%
Min
-0.20%
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Southern Company (SO) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): 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 Xcel Energy (XEL) at 28.50%, 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%

XEL

Utilities industry group

28.50%

Max
53.83%
Q3
31.12%
XEL
28.50%
Median
23.62%
Q1
15.45%
Min
-4.90%
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Southern Company (SO) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Southern Company (SO) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricSOXEL
ROE (TTM)11.90%11.44%
ROA (TTM)3.36%2.37%
Net Margin (TTM)16.00%17.95%
Operating Margin (TTM)36.92%28.50%
Gross Margin (TTM)48.55%47.27%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Southern Company (SO) at 10.59% and Xcel Energy (XEL) at 9.14% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

Both Southern Company (SO) at -1.75% and Xcel Energy (XEL) at -0.58% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Southern Company (SO) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricSOXEL
Revenue Growth (YoY)10.59%9.14%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)0.31%-1.42%
EPS Growth (YoY)-1.75%-0.58%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)6.34%2.56%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Southern Company (SO) at 0.84 and Xcel Energy (XEL) at 0.69 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

SO

Utilities industry group

0.84

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

XEL

Utilities industry group

0.69

Max
1.90
Q3
1.17
Median
0.88
XEL
0.69
Q1
0.66
Min
0.29
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Southern Company (SO) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Southern Company (SO) at 1.68 and Xcel Energy (XEL) at 1.68 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

SO

Utilities industry group

1.68

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

XEL

Utilities industry group

1.68

Max
2.63
Q3
1.77
XEL
1.68
Median
1.35
Q1
0.84
Min
0.00
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Southern Company (SO) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): 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 Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricSOXEL
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.840.69
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.681.68
Net Debt / EBITDA5.016.35

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Southern Company (SO) at 3.21% and Xcel Energy (XEL) at 2.92% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

SO

Utilities industry group

3.21%

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

XEL

Utilities industry group

2.92%

Max
6.66%
Q3
3.58%
XEL
2.92%
Median
2.85%
Q1
0.66%
Min
0.00%
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Southern Company (SO) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Southern Company (SO) at 68.49% and Xcel Energy (XEL) at 54.72% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

SO

Utilities industry group

68.49%

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

XEL

Utilities industry group

54.72%

Max
113.04%
Q3
68.72%
Median
56.38%
XEL
54.72%
Q1
32.38%
Min
0.00%
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Southern Company (SO) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Southern Company (SO) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricSOXEL
Dividend Yield (TTM)3.21%2.92%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)68.49%54.72%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Southern Company (SO) at 21.08 and Xcel Energy (XEL) at 18.57 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

XEL

Utilities industry group

18.57

Max
31.22
Q3
23.30
Median
19.64
XEL
18.57
Q1
15.17
Min
3.34
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Southern Company (SO) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): 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 Xcel Energy (XEL) at 3.44 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

XEL

Utilities industry group

3.44

Max
6.35
Q3
3.63
XEL
3.44
Median
2.63
Q1
1.52
Min
0.00
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Southern Company (SO) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Xcel Energy (XEL) at 1.98 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.

SO

Utilities industry group

2.56

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

XEL

Utilities industry group

1.98

Max
3.12
Q3
2.21
XEL
1.98
Median
1.83
Q1
1.46
Min
0.34
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Southern Company (SO) vs. Xcel Energy (XEL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Southern Company (SO) and Xcel Energy (XEL)
MetricSOXEL
P/E Ratio (TTM)21.0818.57
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.453.44
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.561.98
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)-4.73%-16.32%