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

SO has the lower trailing P/E: SO trades at 21.48 and VST at 22.93. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, SO or VST?

Over the past five years, SO grew revenue faster — SO at a 6.68% CAGR versus VST at 6.24%.

Does SO or VST pay a bigger dividend?

SO yields 3.37% and VST yields 0.67% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is SO or VST more profitable?

SO runs the higher net margin — SO at 15.43% versus VST at 13.89%.

How have SO and VST total returns compared?

Over the past 5 years, SO delivered 9.94% and VST delivered 52.43% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

The Southern Company (SO) vs Vistra Corp. (VST)

A side-by-side comparison of The Southern Company and Vistra Corp. across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of August 23, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

The Southern Company

$102.31B

$88.94UtilitiesAt close: Aug 21, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

VST

Vistra Corp.

$45.93B

$136.21UtilitiesAt close: Aug 21, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

Total return — SO vs VST

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 10y

SO +161.4% (+10.1%/yr)VST +930.7% (+26.3%/yr)VST compounded faster over this window

SO VST

SO vs VST: by the numbers

•SO is the larger company ($102.31B vs $45.93B market cap).
•SO trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (21.48 vs 22.93 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•SO converts more revenue to profit (15.43% vs 13.89% net margin).
•SO grew revenue faster over the past five years (6.68% vs 6.24% CAGR).
•SO pays the higher dividend yield (3.37% vs 0.67%).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	SO	VST
P/E ratio	21.48	22.93
Forward P/E	19.38	15.38
P/S ratio	3.36	2.90
P/B ratio	2.56	8.44
EV / EBITDA	13.16	21.19
FCF yield	2.54%	2.97%

Profitability

Metric	SO	VST
Gross margin	29.81%	12.97%
Operating margin	24.19%	2.34%
Net margin	15.43%	13.89%
ROE	11.77%	40.48%
ROIC	4.15%	0.87%

Dividends

Metric	SO	VST
Dividend yield	3.37%	0.67%
Payout ratio	76.14%	41.18%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	SO	VST
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	6.68%	6.24%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	5.96%	11.20%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	N/A	-42.65%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	9.64%	52.43%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, SO or VST?: SO has the lower trailing P/E: SO trades at 21.48 and VST at 22.93. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, SO or VST?: Over the past five years, SO grew revenue faster — SO at a 6.68% CAGR versus VST at 6.24%.
Does SO or VST pay a bigger dividend?: SO yields 3.37% and VST yields 0.67% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is SO or VST more profitable?: SO runs the higher net margin — SO at 15.43% versus VST at 13.89%.
How have SO and VST total returns compared?: Over the past 5 years, SO delivered 9.94% and VST delivered 52.43% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full SO analysis Full VST analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

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

Southern & Vistra appear in these rankings

Highest Dividend Yield Stocks 25+ Year Dividend Growers Highest ROE Stocks

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 August 23, 2026.