AEP vs SO
American Electric Power Co. Inc. and Southern Co., side by side — 10 fiscal years reported in USD, drawn from SEC filings.
Most recent reported year
| Metric | AEP | SO |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $21.9B | $29.6B |
| Net income | $3.7B | $4.3B |
| Gross margin | 67.9% | · |
| Net margin | 16.9% | 14.1% |
| Return on equity | 12.7% | 12.5% |
| Diluted EPS | $6.66 | $3.92 |
| Dividend / share | $3.74 | $2.94 |
| Payout ratio | 54.3% | 69.5% |
| Free cash flow | $3.5B | $-2.9B |
| Equity | $31.1B | $36.0B |
| Net debt / equity | 1.51× | 1.80× |
| Current ratio | 0.45× | 0.65× |
| Revenue CAGR 5y | 8.0% | 7.0% |
| Profit CAGR 5y | 11.0% | · |
SO bills 1.4× the revenue of AEP, and AEP keeps more of each dollar of revenue as profit (16.9% against 14.1%).
The stronger figure of the pair is set in bold. That is arithmetic, not a recommendation — this page does not pick a winner. "·" marks a figure not available in our data.
10 years side by side
| Fiscal year | AEP | SO |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $21.9B | $29.6B |
| FY2024 | $20.0B | $26.8B |
| FY2023 | $19.5B | $25.3B |
| FY2022 | $19.6B | $29.3B |
| FY2021 | $16.8B | $23.5B |
| FY2020 | $14.9B | $21.1B |
| FY2019 | $15.6B | $22.6B |
| FY2018 | $16.2B | $25.2B |
| FY2017 | $15.4B | $23.0B |
| FY2016 | $16.4B | $19.9B |
Bottom line
| Fiscal year | AEP | SO |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $3.7B | $4.3B |
| FY2024 | $3.0B | $4.4B |
| FY2023 | $2.2B | $4.0B |
| FY2022 | $2.3B | $3.4B |
| FY2021 | $2.5B | $2.3B |
| FY2020 | $2.2B | $3.1B |
| FY2019 | $1.9B | $4.7B |
| FY2018 | $1.9B | $2.3B |
| FY2017 | $1.9B | $926.0M |
| FY2016 | $618.0M | $2.5B |
19 fiscal years
| Fiscal year | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | −$7,677,000,000 | SO |
| FY2024 | −$6,794,000,000 | SO |
| FY2023 | −$5,797,000,000 | SO |
| FY2022 | −$9,639,500,000 | SO |
| FY2021 | −$6,671,000,000 | SO |
| FY2020 | −$6,178,500,000 | SO |
| FY2019 | −$7,034,600,000 | SO |
| FY2018 | −$9,045,300,000 | SO |
| FY2017 | −$7,606,100,000 | SO |
| FY2016 | −$3,515,900,000 | SO |
| FY2015 | −$1,035,800,000 | SO |
| FY2014 | −$2,088,400,000 | SO |
| FY2013 | −$2,273,500,000 | SO |
| FY2012 | −$1,592,000,000 | SO |
| FY2011 | −$2,541,000,000 | SO |
| FY2010 | −$3,029,000,000 | SO |
| FY2009 | −$2,254,000,000 | SO |
| FY2008 | −$2,687,000,000 | SO |
| FY2007 | −$1,973,000,000 | SO |
SO has reported the higher revenue in every one of these 19 fiscal years. The gap has widened since the earliest year compared.
19 of 19 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.
19 fiscal years
| Fiscal year | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | +2.8 pp | AEP |
| FY2024 | −1.0 pp | SO |
| FY2023 | −3.9 pp | SO |
| FY2022 | +0.0 pp | AEP |
| FY2021 | +5.0 pp | AEP |
| FY2020 | +0.0 pp | AEP |
| FY2019 | −8.7 pp | SO |
| FY2018 | +2.8 pp | AEP |
| FY2017 | +8.5 pp | AEP |
| FY2016 | −8.9 pp | SO |
| FY2015 | −1.4 pp | SO |
| FY2014 | −1.0 pp | SO |
| FY2013 | +0.0 pp | AEP |
| FY2012 | −6.2 pp | SO |
| FY2011 | +0.0 pp | AEP |
| FY2010 | −3.2 pp | SO |
| FY2009 | −0.7 pp | SO |
| FY2008 | −0.9 pp | SO |
| FY2007 | −3.4 pp | SO |
The higher net margin has changed hands between AEP and SO over this period.
19 of 19 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.
Standard deviation, each side
SO's net margin has been more volatile than AEP's over the 19 comparable fiscal years — 3.3 percentage points of standard deviation against 3.0.
19 of 19 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.
Year by year
The lead in net margin changed hands between AEP and SO over these 19 fiscal years — AEP led in 8 and SO in 11.
19 of 19 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.
Standard deviation, each side
SO's return on equity has been more volatile than AEP's over the 19 comparable fiscal years — 2.8 percentage points of standard deviation against 2.2.
19 of 19 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.
Year by year
The lead in return on equity changed hands between AEP and SO over these 19 fiscal years — AEP led in 6 and SO in 13.
19 of 19 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.