AEP vs SO
American Electric Power and Southern Company, both Utilities
Southern Company is the larger company at $105B against $69B. On trailing earnings AEP is the cheaper of the two at a P/E of 18.1 against 22.0, a gap that is only a bargain if the two are growing at similar rates. Over the past year AEP returned +18% against -3.5% for SO.
| Figure | AEP | SO |
|---|---|---|
| Last close | $123 | $86.15 |
| Market cap | $69B | $105B |
| Trailing P/Elower is cheaper for the same earnings, not automatically better | 18.1 | 22.0 |
| Dividend yield | 3.1% | 3.4% |
| 1-year return | +18% | -3.5% |
| 5-year return | +65% | +55% |
| RyuScoresector-relative, 1–10 | 51/100 | 51/100 |
Figures from SEC filings and end-of-day closes. Highlighting marks the higher or lower number, which is not the same as the better investment, a low P/E can be a warning and a high one can be deserved.
American Electric Power
Revenue of $6.0B in Q1 2026, net income $903M. Its largest reported line is Electricity, 51% of the disclosed total.
Southern Company
Revenue of $8.4B in Q1 2026, net income $1.3B. Its largest reported line is Retail Electric Industrial, 15% of the disclosed total.
Open these two in the interactive comparison to add more names, change the period or see the correlation.