The Southern Company (SOMN): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score

Is SOMN undervalued?

SOMN closed at 48.69 on 5 Nov 2026, which is 15% above the GLS average fair value of 42.19 from 9 models. 5 of them value the shares below today's price. Our scans read that as "no margin of safety": the stock is not a value candidate at this price, whatever the quality numbers say.

There is a wide gap between GLS Growth (15.59) and 10 Cap (92.18). When the models are this far apart the "fair value" is really a range, and the margin of safety above should be read with that range in mind.

Ranked against every other company we cover, neither cheapness nor growth clearly wins for SOMN, so the nightly engine files it under Blend (value score 31, growth score 50, out of 100).

Nine valuation models for SOMN

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.

Quality and financial health

The Southern Company scores 5 of 9 on the Piotroski F-score: a middling result that falls one point short of the "Piotroski 6 or more" Wheel Trade Filter. Some of the nine tests on profitability, leverage and efficiency are failed, so the accounts are worth a look before selling a put on the name. On durability SOMN scores 5.1/10 on the GLS Moat - a middle reading; the Moat Score tab on the Quote page's Financials view shows which of the four parts hold it back.

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.

Institutional ownership scores 5/10, insider activity 1/10 and Congressional trading 5/10 on the GLS smart-money scales.

Wheel Score 21: No options

No options are listed on The Southern Company in our nightly snapshot, so it fails the first Wheel Trade Filter (options that actually trade) (it reads 21, under 70) and is left out of every options scan; the fair value and health figures above are still useful for a plain stock position.

Volume runs at 687k 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.

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.

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.

⚖ Compare SOMN with 7 of them   All Utilities stocks →