Which has the lower trailing P/E, DUK or SO?

DUK has the lower trailing P/E: DUK trades at 17.93 and SO at 21.06. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, DUK or SO?

Over the past five years, SO grew revenue faster — DUK at a 6.46% CAGR versus SO at 6.68%.

Does DUK or SO pay a bigger dividend?

DUK yields 3.59% and SO yields 3.40% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is DUK or SO more profitable?

DUK runs the higher net margin — DUK at 15.72% versus SO at 15.43%.

How have DUK and SO total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, DUK delivered 8.66% and SO delivered 10.10% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) vs The Southern Company (SO)

A side-by-side comparison of Duke Energy Corporation and The Southern Company across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of September 11, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

DUK

Duke Energy Corporation

$93.10B

$119.42UtilitiesDelayed quote: Sep 11, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

The Southern Company

$100.28B

$87.17UtilitiesDelayed quote: Sep 11, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Total return — DUK vs SO

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 10y

DUK +124.9% (+8.4%/yr)SO +156.2% (+9.9%/yr)SO compounded faster over this window

DUK SO

DUK vs SO: by the numbers

•SO is the larger company ($100.28B vs $93.10B market cap).
•DUK trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (17.93 vs 21.06 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•DUK converts more revenue to profit (15.72% vs 15.43% net margin).
•SO grew revenue faster over the past five years (6.68% vs 6.46% CAGR).
•DUK pays the higher dividend yield (3.59% vs 3.40%).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	DUK	SO
P/E ratio	17.93	21.06
Forward P/E	17.79	18.99
P/S ratio	2.79	3.32
P/B ratio	1.70	2.53
EV / EBITDA	11.73	13.07

Profitability

Metric	DUK	SO
Gross margin	31.56%	29.81%
Operating margin	27.60%	24.19%
Net margin	15.72%	15.43%
ROE	9.58%	11.77%
ROIC	4.20%	4.15%

Dividends

Metric	DUK	SO
Dividend yield	3.59%	3.40%
Payout ratio	64.26%	72.46%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	DUK	SO
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	6.46%	6.68%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	29.69%	5.96%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	6.99%	9.54%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, DUK or SO?: DUK has the lower trailing P/E: DUK trades at 17.93 and SO at 21.06. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, DUK or SO?: Over the past five years, SO grew revenue faster — DUK at a 6.46% CAGR versus SO at 6.68%.
Does DUK or SO pay a bigger dividend?: DUK yields 3.59% and SO yields 3.40% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is DUK or SO more profitable?: DUK runs the higher net margin — DUK at 15.72% versus SO at 15.43%.
How have DUK and SO total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, DUK delivered 8.66% and SO delivered 10.10% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full DUK analysis Full SO analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Duke Energy P/E ratio Southern P/E ratio Duke Energy dividend yield Southern dividend yield Duke Energy ROE Southern ROE Duke Energy operating margin Southern operating margin Duke Energy revenue growth Southern revenue growth Duke Energy free cash flow Southern free cash flow

Duke Energy & Southern appear in these rankings

Highest Dividend Yield Stocks 25+ Year Dividend Growers

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified September 11, 2026.