Stock fact sheet · data as of
The Southern Company (SO): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Ticker symbol SO · Utilities · Regulated Electric · United States · Growth
Is SO undervalued?
The Southern Company (SO) closed at 93.12 on 5 Nov 2026, 74% above the GLS average fair value of 53.55. 7 of the 9 models that produced a number value the shares below the current price. A gap this wide usually means the market is paying for growth or a story the trailing numbers do not show yet; the models work from filed results, not forecasts, so they are conservative by design.
The 9 models disagree widely: GLS Growth gives 29.72 while 10 Cap gives 98.04. A spread that wide means the average is sensitive to which methods you trust; the model table below shows where each one lands, and the Quote page lets you switch any of them off.
Ranked against every other company we cover, SO is clearly faster-growing than it is cheap, so the nightly engine files it under Growth (value score 26, growth score 50, out of 100).
Nine valuation models for SO
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | 29.82 | -68% | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital |
| Graham Number | 56.63 | -39% | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share |
| Graham Growth | 96.05 | +3% | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields |
| Lynch | 31.71 | -66% | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25% |
| GLS Growth | 29.72 | -68% | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year |
| 10 Cap | 98.04 | +5% | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10% |
| Payback Time | 50.31 | -46% | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself |
| DDM | 44.14 | -53% | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend |
| EPV | 45.51 | -51% | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth |
| Zombie (liquidation) | -92.09 | -199% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 93.94 | +1% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
Financial health is average - SO passes 6 of the nine Piotroski tests, which passes the "Piotroski 6 or more" Wheel Trade Filter. The Financials tab on the Quote page shows which tests fail. The GLS Moat score is 5.1 out of 10: a record that is solid on some of the four parts the score weighs (returns on capital, pricing power, lasting growth, balance sheet) and weaker on others.
Returns on capital are thin or negative - ROIC 3.9%, ROE 12.1%, ROA 2.8% - with debt at 2.06 times equity and a free-cash-flow yield of 2.4%. Debt of 2.06 times equity is on the high side for the sector and is worth checking against the cash flow before treating the stock as a long-term hold.
The dividend yield is 3.22% at a payout ratio of 67%; for a wheel trader holding assigned shares the dividend adds to the covered-call premium, and the ex-dividend date is worth knowing before a call is sold. Revenue comes mainly from Retail electric revenues 69%, Natural gas distribution revenues 13%, Wholesale electric revenues 7% (quarter Q2 FY2026).
Institutional ownership scores 9/10, insider activity 1/10 and Congressional trading 10/10 on the GLS smart-money scales; the last recorded Congressional buy was on 25 Sep 2026.
| Piotroski F-score | 6 / 9 | ROIC | 3.9% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | 5.1 / 10 | ROE | 12.1% |
| Debt / equity | 2.06 | ROA | 2.8% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | 2.4% | Payout ratio | 67% |
| Institutions | 9 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 1 · 10 / 10 |
Wheel Score 36: Weak
SO scores 36 out of 100 on the Wheel Score, in the Weak band (under 50): it fails filter 3, below fair value - trades 74% above our fair value; and filter 5, can repay its debt - 6.7 years to repay its debt (over 6), and the parts are thin too - value weak, premium fair, moat fair, health good, red flags fair, option trading strong, stability strong. The score is not a judgement on the company; it says the price, quality and premium do not line up for selling puts on it today.
Implied volatility is 28% on the near-the-money contracts 20-60 days out: enough to pass the 25-80% Wheel Trade Filter, but under the 35-60% sweet spot the score rewards most. The option chain is deep: 96,607 contracts of open interest across all expiries, which means tight fills at most strikes.
Volume runs at 18.7M shares a day on a market cap of $107.1B, with a beta of 0.29 - a low beta, so day-to-day moves are smaller than the market's; the Stability part of the Wheel Score rates that strong.
| Filter | Wheel Trade Filter | Result | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Options that actually trade | Passes | Listed options with 1,000+ contracts of open interest and 100+ traded a day |
| 2 | A real business, not a gamble | Passes | Profitable over the last twelve months - not a speculative stock, fund or note |
| 3 | Below fair value | Fails | trades 74% above our fair value |
| 4 | Financially healthy | Passes | Piotroski F-score 6 or more out of 9 (a company with no score on file passes) |
| 5 | Can repay its debt | Fails | 6.7 years to repay its debt (over 6) |
| 6 | No serious red flags | Passes | Red Flags score 60 or more out of 100 (earnings, margins, debt, analysts, filings and price checked the same way for every stock) |
| 7 | A premium worth selling | Passes | Implied volatility 25-80% (enough premium, not a lottery ticket) |
| 8 | Big enough | Passes | Market cap $1 billion or more |
| 9 | Not a penny stock | Passes | Share price $5 or more |
| How it ranks | Rating | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Weak | 74% above fair value | |
| Premium | Fair | implied volatility 28% | |
| Moat | Fair | moat 5.1/10 | |
| Health | Good | Piotroski 6/9 | |
| Red Flags | Fair | Red Flags score 75/100 | |
| Option trading | Strong | 10,384 contracts a day, 96,607 open interest | |
| Stability | Strong | beta 0.29, $107.1B company |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls: a stock must pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters to score 70, and the score then ranks the ones that pass; the Sunday Scan is the top 10. It is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. How the Wheel Score works · the walkthrough lesson shows how it fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
The Southern Company reports earnings on 5 Nov 2026 (before the open) - inside the 14-day window the Sunday Scan avoids, because a put sold now would carry the report's gap risk. The shares go ex-dividend on 16 Nov 2026 (0.7600 per share), so a covered call sold before then carries a small early-assignment risk around that date.
No analyst upgrades or downgrades were recorded in the last 30 days.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Regulated Electric
The 12 companies below are the closest to The Southern Company by market cap within the Regulated Electric industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
| Stock | Close | Fair value | MoS | Wheel | Mkt cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOJE Southern Company (The) Series 2 | 15.55 | 32.26 | +52% | 35No options | $107.1B |
| SOMN The Southern Company | 48.69 | 42.19 | -15% | 21No options | $107.1B |
| DUK Duke Energy Corporation | 129.59 | 81.45 | -59% | 34Weak | $101.0B |
| NGG National Grid plc | 85.22 | 46.78 | -82% | 36Weak | $85.7B |
| AEP American Electric Power Company, Inc. | 129.24 | 125.28 | -3% | 30Weak | $70.4B |
| NEE NextEra Energy, Inc. | 88.45 | 75.33 | -17% | 35Weak | $185.5B |
| D Dominion Energy, Inc. | 69.75 | 45.03 | -55% | 30Weak | $61.3B |
| ETR Entergy Corporation | 111.90 | 62.45 | -79% | 27Weak | $53.5B |
| XEL Xcel Energy Inc. | 80.50 | 49.47 | -63% | 31Weak | $51.7B |
| EXC Exelon Corporation | 46.24 | 27.57 | -68% | 27Weak | $47.9B |
| ELC Entergy Louisiana, LLC COLLATERAL TR MT | 18.40 | 94.79 | +81% | 32No options | $46.4B |
| ED Consolidated Edison, Inc. | 120.30 | 108.65 | -11% | 29Weak | $44.3B |
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Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about SO
Is SO undervalued right now?
No: at 93.12 the stock trades 74% above the GLS average fair value of 53.55 (data as of 5 Nov 2026), well beyond what trailing earnings, cash flow and book value support.
What is the Wheel Score of SO and what does it mean?
SO scores 36 out of 100 (Weak) - it fails Wheel Trade Filters 3, 5. The Wheel Score ranks stocks for the wheel strategy - selling cash-secured puts, then covered calls if assigned - in two parts: the 9 pass/fail Wheel Trade Filters (busy options, a real business, below fair value, Piotroski 6 or more, debt it can repay, a Red Flags score of 60 or more, implied volatility of 25-80%, a $1 billion company, $5 a share) and a ranking of how strongly a stock passes on value, premium, moat, health, red flags, option trading and stability. A stock that fails any filter stays under 70; 70-84 is Good, 85 and above is Prime. The Sunday Scan is the top 10 that pass, sorted by Wheel Score.
What is the GLS fair value for SO?
53.55 per share as of 5 Nov 2026 - the simple average of the 9 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does The Southern Company report earnings next?
The next earnings report is due on 5 Nov 2026 (before the open), 0 days from the data date of 5 Nov 2026. The Calendars page lists every upcoming report with its time of day.
Does SO have listed options, and how liquid are they?
Yes. The nightly snapshot found 552 listed contracts with 96,607 open interest across all expiries and implied volatility of 28% on the near-the-money contracts. The Options scanner lists the cash-secured put and covered call set-ups with premium and annualised yield worked out.