D vs SO Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Dominion Energy and Southern Company are both major Southeast regulated utilities, but Dominion has gone through a period of portfolio simplification and dividend reset following divestitures, while Southern Company has maintained a longer track record of stable, consistent regulated earnings and dividend growth.
D offers potential turnaround upside as its simplified utility portfolio matures, while SO offers a longer track record of stable, dependable regulated earnings and dividend growth. The decision depends on whether you prefer turnaround potential or proven consistency.
SO holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. D leads on both 1-year return (+7.06%) and forward P/E quality (16.66x vs 17.92x for SO), a relatively favorable combination of momentum and valuation. On fundamentals, D is growing revenue faster (17.60%), while SO maintains the higher operating margin (29.61%) — a classic growth-versus-profitability split. Analyst consensus implies similar upside for both: +12.62% for D and +13.64% for SO.
Human Wall Street analysts' price targets, typically implying a ~12-month view — a separate signal from this site's own AI Prediction Signal further down the page, which is a 5-/30-day machine-learning forecast based on price history alone.
- Want exposure to a utility turnaround story following portfolio simplification
- Believe growing data center demand in Virginia supports meaningful rate base growth
- Are comfortable with the uncertainty that comes with a company still rebuilding investor confidence
- See value in a more narrowly focused regulated utility business following past divestitures
- Prefer a utility with a long, consistent track record of earnings and dividend growth
- Value a diversified generation fleet spanning nuclear, natural gas, and renewables
- Want exposure to constructive regulatory relationships across Southeast service territories
- Prioritize stability and predictability over turnaround potential
| Metric | D | SO |
|---|---|---|
| AI scorei | 41.8 | 50.3 |
| AI ranki | #972 | #495 |
| Latest closei | $65.20 | $92.89 |
| 1M returni | +6.59% | +11.29% |
| 3M returni | -8.30% | -4.48% |
| 6M returni | +4.19% | -0.64% |
| 1Y returni | +7.06% | -4.71% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | D | SO |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $10.74K (+7.4%) started 2025-10-23 | $9.66K (-3.4%) started 2025-10-23 |
| 5Y ago | $11.87K (+18.7%) started 2021-10-25 | $19.84K (+98.4%) started 2021-10-25 |
| 10Y ago | $20.05K (+100.5%) started 2016-10-24 | $41.31K (+313.1%) started 2016-10-24 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | D | SO |
|---|---|---|
| Market capi | $55.9B | $101.52B |
| Trailing P/Ei | 21.99 | 21.27 |
| Forward P/Ei | 16.66 | 17.92 |
| Price/Salesi | N/A | 3.49 |
| EV/Revenuei | 6.36 | 5.91 |
| Analyst targeti | $71.58 | $100.29 |
| Target upsidei | +12.62% | +13.64% |
| Metric | D | SO |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growthi | 17.60% | 0.10% |
| Earnings growthi | -58.00% | 30.40% |
| EPS growthi | -58.00% | +30.40% |
| FCF margini | -50.67% | -12.97% |
| Operating margini | 29.22% | 29.61% |
| Profit margini | 13.98% | 15.43% |
| ROIC proxyi | 8.28% | 11.48% |
| Return on equityi | 8.28% | 11.48% |
| Dividend yieldi | 4.20% | 3.44% |
| Payout ratioi | 92.39% | 71.81% |
| Dividend growth streaki | No increase yet | No increase yet |
| Betai | 0.62 | 0.33 |
| Debt/equityi | 160.46 | 182.06 |
| Current ratioi | 0.81 | 0.79 |
| Quick ratioi | 0.32 | 0.44 |
Over the past year, D and SO have moved moderately in the same direction (correlation of 0.67), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | D | SO |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | +7.45% | -3.39% |
| CAGRi | +7.46% | -3.40% | |
| Volatilityi | 20.98% | 17.91% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.23 | -0.36 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.36 | -0.51 | |
| Max drawdowni | 15.92% | 16.91% | |
| Current drawdowni | 9.05% | 6.28% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 5.05% | 6.50% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 6.43% | 7.56% | |
| Max daily dropi | 3.72% | 3.28% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 6.82% | 5.84% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | -0.01% | +70.52% |
| CAGRi | -0.00% | +11.28% | |
| Volatilityi | 22.79% | 18.90% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.08 | 0.42 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.12 | 0.61 | |
| Max drawdowni | 52.20% | 23.28% | |
| Current drawdowni | 14.93% | 6.85% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 24.32% | 6.64% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 27.62% | 8.42% | |
| Max daily dropi | 6.36% | 4.70% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 12.49% | 11.77% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +28.84% | +164.67% |
| CAGRi | +2.57% | +10.23% | |
| Volatilityi | 23.77% | 22.04% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.04 | 0.35 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.05 | 0.50 | |
| Max drawdowni | 52.20% | 38.43% | |
| Current drawdowni | 14.93% | 6.85% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 16.37% | 7.24% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 20.85% | 9.51% | |
| Max daily dropi | 12.31% | 11.77% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 18.40% | 23.39% |
| Category | D | SO |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Dominion Energy, Inc. | The Southern Company |
| Sector | Utilities | Utilities |
| Industry | Utilities - Regulated Electric | Utilities - Regulated Electric |
| Core business | A regulated electric and natural gas utility holding company serving customers primarily in Virginia and South Carolina, following a multi-year strategic review and divestiture of certain non-core business units. | A large regulated electric and natural gas utility holding company serving customers across the Southeast United States, with a diversified generation fleet including nuclear, natural gas, and renewable resources. |
| Investor focus | Progress simplifying the business portfolio following past divestitures, regulated rate base growth in its core Virginia and South Carolina territories, and dividend stability following its prior reset. | Regulated rate base growth across its Southeast service territories, nuclear plant reliability and cost management, and consistent dividend growth track record. |
- Business simplification following asset sales has focused the company more narrowly on core regulated utility operations
- Growing data center demand in its Virginia service territory, a major hub for data center development, supports rate base growth opportunities
- Regulated utility model in constructive jurisdictions provides a foundation for more predictable earnings going forward
- Long, consistent track record of regulated earnings and dividend growth reflects a stable, well-managed utility operating model
- Diversified generation fleet spanning nuclear, natural gas, and renewables balances reliability with evolving clean energy goals
- Constructive regulatory relationships across its Southeast service territories support predictable rate case outcomes
- Past dividend reset reflects the company's prior financial and strategic challenges, which may weigh on investor perception during the recovery period
- Continued execution on business simplification and cost discipline is necessary to rebuild investor confidence
- Regulated earnings growth still needs to demonstrate sustained consistency following the years of portfolio transition
- Large-scale nuclear construction projects have historically faced cost overruns and schedule delays in the utility industry broadly
- Population and economic growth in its service territories, while generally a tailwind, requires continued infrastructure investment
- Reliance on continued constructive regulatory relationships to support planned rate base growth over time
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