Descripción de la empresa
The Southern Company operates primarily as a provider of electricity, serving both retail and wholesale customers while also offering energy-related products and services within natural gas choice markets. This utility entity is classified within the Utilities sector and specifically the Utilities - Regulated Electric industry, reflecting its business model of generating and distributing power under government-regulated frameworks. The company employs a workforce of 29,502 individuals and reports a trailing twelve-month revenue of $29.55B, although specific market capitalization data is not available in the current dataset. These revenue figures, combined with the substantial employee base, indicate that the organization functions as a large-scale infrastructure operator with significant operational reach. The absence of a listed market cap value suggests that the primary assessment of the company's size relies on its tangible revenue generation and extensive asset base rather than a simple multiple of earnings in this specific reporting context.
Salud financiera
The company reported a trailing twelve-month revenue of $29.55B with a corresponding net income of $4.34B and an EBITDA of $13.93B. The substantial gap between the $29.55B in revenue and the $4.34B in net income reveals a cost structure where operating expenses and taxes consume a significant portion of top-line sales, leaving a profit margin of 14.7%. While the EBITDA figure of $13.93B highlights strong operational cash generation potential before interest and taxes, the free cash flow stands at -$3,460,124,928, indicating that capital expenditures likely exceed operational cash inflows during this period. This negative free cash flow suggests the company is actively investing in infrastructure expansion or maintenance, which limits immediate financial flexibility but is typical for regulated utilities upgrading their grids. The balance sheet shows a cash position of $1.64B against total debt of $74.07B, resulting in a debt-to-equity ratio of 190.59, which characterizes the entity as highly leveraged. Such a high debt load is common in capital-intensive utility sectors but requires consistent cash flow to service obligations. The current ratio is recorded at 0.65, which indicates that the company's current assets are insufficient to cover its current liabilities without relying on asset sales or external financing. Return on Equity is 11.0% and Return on Assets is 3.3%, metrics that demonstrate how management generates returns relative to shareholder equity and total assets, respectively.
Evaluación de valoración
Specific trailing P/E and forward P/E ratios are not available in the current data, preventing a direct comparison of valuation multiples against historical norms or peer groups. However, the price-to-book ratio is explicitly stated at 1.61, indicating that the market values the company's equity at 61% above its book value. This premium suggests that investors assign additional value to the company's intangible assets, brand reputation, or regulatory franchises beyond the tangible capital recorded on the balance sheet. Alternative valuation metrics include an EV/EBITDA of 9.58, which provides a perspective on enterprise value relative to operating earnings, though a price-to-sales ratio is not listed in the available facts. The stock has traded between a 52-week high of $53.99 and a 52-week low of $47.87. Without a specific current price provided in the source data, the exact percentage deviation from this range cannot be calculated, but the trading band defines the recent volatility envelope. The beta is 0.41, meaning the stock's price volatility is significantly lower than the broader market, reflecting the defensive nature of the regulated utility sector.
Growth & Income
Revenue growth year-over-year is recorded at 10.1%, while earnings growth year-over-year is -22.1%. This divergence implies that revenue expansion is currently outpacing profit growth, potentially due to margin compression, increased regulatory costs, or one-time expenses impacting the bottom line. The company does not report a dividend yield or a payout ratio in the available data, suggesting that it may not be a traditional income-focused payer or that these metrics are not disclosed. Consequently, the financial profile appears to prioritize capital allocation for growth initiatives or debt reduction rather than returning cash to shareholders via dividends. The overall growth and income profile presents a scenario of expanding top-line sales amidst a contraction in reported earnings, with no current dividend income stream to supplement total return.