Utilities - Regulated Electric. Scored on the same transparent model behind the daily rankings.
★
SO
The Southern Company · Utilities - Regulated Electric
51.4Score
$86.17Oct 9 close$99.1B
1Y Target$98.13Analyst consensus · 19 analysts
5Y Target$171.63Compound horizon
10Y Target$306.74Long-dated conviction
FCF-$3.5bTTM · 03/26F
FCF is negative (-$3.5b) — cash-burning phase; acceptable only for pre-profit spec names · TTM from SEC filings (OCF − CapEx), four quarters to 03/26.
Rev+8.3%TTM YoYB
Revenue +8.3% — at or above S&P median · Latest four quarters of revenue vs the four before them, from SEC filings.
D/E1.82C+
D/E 1.82 — above the Utilities debt median (≈75th pctile)
P/S*3.3xC+
P/S 3.3x — above the Utilities median (≈75th pctile)
PEG2.04C
PEG 2.04 — expensive relative to growth rate
* P/S replaces P/E — no positive earnings to divide by
Targets: 1-year is analyst consensus where covered, 5- and 10-year are model estimates; the DCF is a cross-check, not a target. Methodology
Quality-growth score · 51.4
Quality56.4
Growth62.9
Value38.3
Why this score
Durable high returns
Diluting shareholders
Entry · Margin of safety
52-week rangeNear 52-week low
15% off the 12-month high
Quality signals
ROIC13.9% · B+return on invested capital — leads the quality score
Model-generatedFrom reported fundamentals, checked against the figures above · Editorial standards
Why now
Utilities - Regulated Electric · market cap $99.1b. 15% off the 52-week high of $100.84. 19 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $98.13 (implying +14% upside).
Moat
Net margin 14% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 11% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere. $99.1b market cap gives the company enough scale to absorb fixed costs that subscale competitors can't, without yet being so large that growth has to come from acquisition.
Risk
Free cash flow is negative (-$3.5b) — capital raises or debt issuance likely required; dilution / leverage risk.
Horizon
1-3 yr $98.13 (19-analyst consensus) — catalyst-driven; binary events dominate. 5 yr $171.63 — requires the platform / technology to reach commercial scale. 10 yr $306.74 — return distribution heavily skewed.
SO vs the Top Picks average
Pillar
SO
Book avg
Diff
Quality
56
83
-27
Growth
63
89
-26
Value
38
76
-38
Average of today's Top 30 (mean score 82.6); size and sector limits also decide the book.
Score history · SO
Trend
-3.2 over 80 daily scores
From 54.6 (Jun 22) → 51.4 (now)
One point per daily run; read From → To for the actual range.
SO at a glance
Same audited fundamentals as the score, unless a card says otherwise.
Analyst estimate revisions
30-day change
-0.0%
90-day change
+0.1%
Forward EPS estimate
$4.92
Over the last 90 days, what analysts expect SO to earn is essentially unchanged. The estimate is derived from price and forward P/E captured at the same instant, so a moving share price does not move this number — only a changed forecast does.
Estimates move both ways and are not part of the Bull Rankings score. Biggest movers →
Position sizing · SO
$
%
%
Shares to buy
23
Position size
$1,982
4.0% of portfolio
Stop price
$64.63
25% below $86.17
$ at risk if stopped
$495.48
budget $500.00 · 1% of portfolio
Math only: excludes commissions, slippage and gap risk. Inputs stay in your browser.
The Southern Company (SO): score, valuation & FAQ
The Southern Company (SO) is a Utilities - Regulated Electric company that scores 51.4 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth model — a middling reading. The score blends three pillars — quality (durable returns, healthy margins, low leverage), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (valuation versus sector peers) — into one number, refreshed daily; it is a screen, not a buy recommendation.
The model flags FCF (F) as weaker areas.
Is SO a good stock to buy?
Bull Rankings scores SO 51.4 out of 100 on its quality-growth model, which is a middling reading. A score is a quantitative screen of The Southern Company's fundamentals, not personalised financial advice — weigh it against your own time horizon and risk tolerance, and read the risk factors below before acting.
Why does SO score 51.4 on Bull Rankings?
The score leans on growth at 62.9 out of 100, with value the weakest pillar at 38.3 — the three combine geometrically, so a weak one cannot be papered over by a strong one. SO grades middle-of-pack across the graded signals, and is held back by FCF (F). Each signal is graded against sector-aware thresholds rather than one absolute bar, so SO is measured against Utilities - Regulated Electric peers, not against the market as a whole.
Is SO overvalued or undervalued?
We don't compute a reliable discounted-cash-flow value for SO — typically because it is not yet consistently profitable or free-cash-flow positive — so its valuation rests on growth and price-to-sales rather than on earnings-based intrinsic value. Judge it on the trajectory of the business, not a single multiple.
What are the main risks of investing in SO?
Free cash flow is negative (-$3.5b) — capital raises or debt issuance likely required; dilution / leverage risk.