Southern Past Earnings Performance

Past criteria checks 5/6

Southern has been growing earnings at an average annual rate of 1.9%, while the Electric Utilities industry saw earnings growing at 6.7% annually. Revenues have been growing at an average rate of 6.4% per year. Southern's return on equity is 12.4%, and it has net margins of 17.9%.

Key information

1.9%

Earnings growth rate

0.7%

EPS growth rate

Electric Utilities Industry Growth6.3%
Revenue growth rate6.4%
Return on equity12.4%
Net Margin17.9%
Last Earnings Update30 Sep 2024

Recent past performance updates

Recent updates

Here's Why Southern (NYSE:SO) Has A Meaningful Debt Burden

Dec 11
Here's Why Southern (NYSE:SO) Has A Meaningful Debt Burden

Southern (NYSE:SO) Hasn't Managed To Accelerate Its Returns

Nov 28
Southern (NYSE:SO) Hasn't Managed To Accelerate Its Returns

Southern Company: One Of The Best Utilities At A Lofty Price

Nov 01

Here's Why We Think Southern (NYSE:SO) Might Deserve Your Attention Today

Oct 28
Here's Why We Think Southern (NYSE:SO) Might Deserve Your Attention Today

Southern Company Could Be Dead Money For The Foreseeable Future

Oct 08

The Southern Company's (NYSE:SO) Shares May Have Run Too Fast Too Soon

Sep 30
The Southern Company's (NYSE:SO) Shares May Have Run Too Fast Too Soon

The Southern Company: Time To Lock In Gains

Sep 28

Is Southern (NYSE:SO) Using Too Much Debt?

Sep 02
Is Southern (NYSE:SO) Using Too Much Debt?

Returns On Capital At Southern (NYSE:SO) Have Stalled

Aug 21
Returns On Capital At Southern (NYSE:SO) Have Stalled

The AI Factor: Southern Company's Pricey Power Play

Aug 19

Do Southern's (NYSE:SO) Earnings Warrant Your Attention?

Jul 28
Do Southern's (NYSE:SO) Earnings Warrant Your Attention?

Why Southern Company Will Beat Guidance

Jul 09

The Southern Company Electric Utility Generates 3.7% Yield

Jul 02

Subdued Growth No Barrier To The Southern Company's (NYSE:SO) Price

Jun 23
Subdued Growth No Barrier To The Southern Company's (NYSE:SO) Price

The Southern Company: A Premium Valuation With Lukewarm Growth

May 24

The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) Shares Could Be 31% Above Their Intrinsic Value Estimate

May 22
The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) Shares Could Be 31% Above Their Intrinsic Value Estimate

The Southern Company Just Beat Earnings Expectations: Here's What Analysts Think Will Happen Next

May 06
The Southern Company Just Beat Earnings Expectations: Here's What Analysts Think Will Happen Next

Does Southern (NYSE:SO) Deserve A Spot On Your Watchlist?

Apr 18
Does Southern (NYSE:SO) Deserve A Spot On Your Watchlist?

Returns Are Gaining Momentum At Southern (NYSE:SO)

Mar 24
Returns Are Gaining Momentum At Southern (NYSE:SO)

Southern Company: How One Of The Best Utilities Could Return Over 10% Per Year

Mar 13

Southern (NYSE:SO) Use Of Debt Could Be Considered Risky

Mar 11
Southern (NYSE:SO) Use Of Debt Could Be Considered Risky

Is There An Opportunity With The Southern Company's (NYSE:SO) 22% Undervaluation?

Feb 13
Is There An Opportunity With The Southern Company's (NYSE:SO) 22% Undervaluation?

The Southern Company: Onboarding New Nuclear Plants

Feb 09

Southern Company: It's Almost Time To Buy This Proven 4%-Yielding Utility

Jan 25

The Southern Company's (NYSE:SO) P/E Still Appears To Be Reasonable

Jan 15
The Southern Company's (NYSE:SO) P/E Still Appears To Be Reasonable

Southern Company: The Pros And Cons Of A Stock And Bond Investment

Dec 21

The Southern Company: A Solid Company, But Still Overvalued

Nov 16

4%-Yielding Southern Company Is A Utility Gem

Nov 03

Southern Company: Hold This Stock For Stable Dividend Yield

Oct 11

Southern Company Looks Interesting Yielding Over 4%, Down 19% From Its Highs

Sep 29

Southern Company: Long-Term Buy For One Of The Sector's Best Regulatory Profiles

Aug 04

Even With End Of The Vogtle Saga, Southern Co. Is A Hold

Jun 26

Southern Company: A Solid Company With Bright Future, But Overvalued

May 23

Southern Company prices $1.5B in principal amount of convertible senior notes

Feb 24

The Southern Company Q4 2022 Earnings Preview

Feb 15

Revenue & Expenses Breakdown

How Southern makes and spends money. Based on latest reported earnings, on an LTM basis.


Earnings and Revenue History

NYSE:SO Revenue, expenses and earnings (USD Millions)
DateRevenueEarningsG+A ExpensesR&D Expenses
30 Sep 2426,4284,722-6050
30 Jun 2426,1344,608-6030
31 Mar 2425,4194,243-5990
31 Dec 2325,2533,976-5950
30 Sep 2326,2553,034-6110
30 Jun 2327,6533,085-6250
31 Mar 2329,1113,354-6410
31 Dec 2229,2793,524-6560
30 Sep 2227,9993,396-6340
30 Jun 2225,8593,024-6120
31 Mar 2223,8512,290-5900
31 Dec 2123,1132,393-5690
30 Sep 2122,4632,995-5310
30 Jun 2121,8453,147-4920
31 Mar 2121,2673,386-4550
31 Dec 2020,3753,119-4150
30 Sep 2020,1723,173-3780
30 Jun 2020,5473,237-3420
31 Mar 2021,0253,523-3030
31 Dec 1921,4194,739-2670
30 Sep 1921,8424,576-2590
30 Jun 1922,0064,424-2510
31 Mar 1922,5353,372-3020
31 Dec 1823,4952,226-2350
30 Sep 1823,7862,443-1760
30 Jun 1823,8282,349-1170
31 Mar 1823,6321,12200
31 Dec 1723,031842-2350
30 Sep 1722,58454400
30 Jun 1722,64761300
31 Mar 1721,6752,61700
31 Dec 1619,8962,44800
30 Sep 1618,2832,52200
30 Jun 1617,4202,34100
31 Mar 1617,2982,34800
31 Dec 1517,4892,36700
30 Sep 1517,9382,37900
30 Jun 1517,8762,13900
31 Mar 1518,0062,12000
31 Dec 1418,4671,96300
30 Sep 1418,3772,09400
30 Jun 1418,0552,22800
31 Mar 1417,8341,91400
31 Dec 1317,0871,64400

Quality Earnings: SO has high quality earnings.

Growing Profit Margin: SO's current net profit margins (17.9%) are higher than last year (11.6%).


Free Cash Flow vs Earnings Analysis


Past Earnings Growth Analysis

Earnings Trend: SO's earnings have grown by 1.9% per year over the past 5 years.

Accelerating Growth: SO's earnings growth over the past year (55.6%) exceeds its 5-year average (1.9% per year).

Earnings vs Industry: SO earnings growth over the past year (55.6%) exceeded the Electric Utilities industry 13.4%.


Return on Equity

High ROE: SO's Return on Equity (12.4%) is considered low.


Return on Assets


Return on Capital Employed


Discover strong past performing companies

Company Analysis and Financial Data Status

DataLast Updated (UTC time)
Company Analysis2024/12/22 03:00
End of Day Share Price 2024/12/20 00:00
Earnings2024/09/30
Annual Earnings2023/12/31

Data Sources

The data used in our company analysis is from S&P Global Market Intelligence LLC. The following data is used in our analysis model to generate this report. Data is normalised which can introduce a delay from the source being available.

PackageDataTimeframeExample US Source *
Company Financials10 years
  • Income statement
  • Cash flow statement
  • Balance sheet
Analyst Consensus Estimates+3 years
  • Forecast financials
  • Analyst price targets
Market Prices30 years
  • Stock prices
  • Dividends, Splits and Actions
Ownership10 years
  • Top shareholders
  • Insider trading
Management10 years
  • Leadership team
  • Board of directors
Key Developments10 years
  • Company announcements

* example for US securities, for non-US equivalent regulatory forms and sources are used.

Unless specified all financial data is based on a yearly period but updated quarterly. This is known as Trailing Twelve Month (TTM) or Last Twelve Month (LTM) Data. Learn more here.

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Industry and Sector Metrics

Our industry and section metrics are calculated every 6 hours by Simply Wall St, details of our process are available on .

Analyst Sources

The Southern Company is covered by 41 analysts. 14 of those analysts submitted the estimates of revenue or earnings used as inputs to our report. Analysts submissions are updated throughout the day.

AnalystInstitution
Jacob KilsteinArgus Research Company
Nathan JudgeAtlantic Equities LLP
Daniel FordBarclays