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

XEL has the lower trailing P/E: SO trades at 21.48 and XEL at 20.79. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, SO or XEL?

Over the past five years, SO grew revenue faster — SO at a 6.68% CAGR versus XEL at 2.79%.

Does SO or XEL pay a bigger dividend?

SO yields 3.37% and XEL yields 3.05% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is SO or XEL more profitable?

SO runs the higher net margin — SO at 15.43% versus XEL at 15.28%.

How have SO and XEL total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, SO delivered 9.94% and XEL delivered 9.34% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

The Southern Company (SO) vs Xcel Energy Inc. (XEL)

A side-by-side comparison of The Southern Company and Xcel Energy Inc. 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

XEL

Xcel Energy Inc.

$47.66B

$76.30UtilitiesAt close: Aug 21, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

Total return — SO vs XEL

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 10y

SO +162.6% (+10.1%/yr)XEL +150.5% (+9.6%/yr)SO compounded faster over this window

SO XEL

SO vs XEL: by the numbers

•SO is the larger company ($102.31B vs $47.66B market cap).
•XEL trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (20.79 vs 21.48 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•SO converts more revenue to profit (15.43% vs 15.28% net margin).
•SO grew revenue faster over the past five years (6.68% vs 2.79% CAGR).
•SO pays the higher dividend yield (3.37% vs 3.05%).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	SO	XEL
P/E ratio	21.48	20.79
Forward P/E	19.38	18.54
P/S ratio	3.36	3.27
P/B ratio	2.56	1.99
EV / EBITDA	13.16	14.09
FCF yield	2.54%	N/A

Profitability

Metric	SO	XEL
Gross margin	29.81%	48.84%
Operating margin	24.19%	20.98%
Net margin	15.43%	15.28%
ROE	11.77%	9.28%
ROIC	4.15%	3.74%

Dividends

Metric	SO	XEL
Dividend yield	3.37%	3.05%
Payout ratio	76.14%	67.59%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	SO	XEL
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	6.68%	2.79%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	5.96%	4.20%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	N/A	-15.80%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	9.64%	4.84%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, SO or XEL?: XEL has the lower trailing P/E: SO trades at 21.48 and XEL at 20.79. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, SO or XEL?: Over the past five years, SO grew revenue faster — SO at a 6.68% CAGR versus XEL at 2.79%.
Does SO or XEL pay a bigger dividend?: SO yields 3.37% and XEL yields 3.05% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is SO or XEL more profitable?: SO runs the higher net margin — SO at 15.43% versus XEL at 15.28%.
How have SO and XEL total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, SO delivered 9.94% and XEL delivered 9.34% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full SO analysis Full XEL analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

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

Southern & Xcel Energy appear in these rankings

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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.