How do NEE and SO differ fundamentally?

NextEra Energy is simultaneously a regulated Florida utility (FPL) and the world's largest wind/solar renewable developer — the two businesses are separate subsidiaries but both drive earnings. Southern Company is primarily a traditional regulated electricity and gas utility in the Southeast, with Vogtle nuclear as a major capital project that is now generating clean baseload power.

What metrics matter most when comparing NEE and SO?

For NextEra, track FPL earnings per share, new renewable capacity additions (GW) vs. development targets, Capital Recycler program execution, and EPS growth delivery vs. 6–8% guidance. For Southern Company, the key metrics are regulated EPS from Georgia Power and Alabama Power, Vogtle nuclear generation capacity factor, data center and industrial load growth in Georgia, and dividend coverage ratio.

Which is better for long-term investors — NEE or SO?

NextEra's renewable development platform and higher growth target make it the better long-term total return utility investment — if it consistently delivers 6–8% EPS growth, it will substantially outperform most utilities. Southern Company provides lower but more predictable long-term returns with Vogtle nuclear providing clean baseload that should be valuable as power demand grows for AI and electrification. Long-term, NEE has higher potential; SO has lower volatility.

Data as of: September 18, 2026

brimindinvest.com / compare / nee-vs-soLIVE

NEE

NextEra Energy, Inc. · Utilities

$81.28

-5.73% this month

VERSUS

COMPARE

SO

The Southern Company · Utilities

$86.76

-5.77% this month

Comparison scoreboard

NEE LEADS 4/5

AI Scorei

NEE ✓51.9

SO 41.3

1Y Returni

NEE ✓+15.60%

SO -5.31%

Fwd P/Ei

NEE 18.65

SO ✓17.92

Target Up.i

NEE ✓+20.22%

SO +13.64%

Op. Margini

NEE ✓31.52%

SO 29.61%

Metrics last refreshed: 9/18/2026

Quick take

NEE vs SO Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside

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NextEra and Southern Company are both large regulated utilities paying substantial dividends, but with very different growth strategies. NextEra is the world's most aggressive renewable energy developer, targeting 6–8% EPS growth from wind, solar, and battery storage additions. Southern Company is a more traditional regulated utility whose primary recent investment has been completing the Vogtle nuclear expansion — a baseload clean energy asset now generating revenue.

NEE vs SO is a choice between the growth-oriented renewable energy utility platform targeting 6–8% EPS compounding (NextEra) and the traditional regulated utility with completed nuclear baseload capacity and conservative 4–5% regulated earnings growth (Southern Company).

Live analysis · updated 9/18/2026

NEE holds the edge across 4 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. NEE has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+15.60% vs -5.31%), though SO has the better forward P/E setup (17.92x vs 18.65x for NEE). NEE leads on both revenue growth (12.40%) and operating margin (31.52%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for NEE (+20.22%) than for SO (+13.64%).

Normalized 1Y performance

NEE

SO

Recent returns

NEE

SO

Analyst price targets & sentiment

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.

NEE · 20 analysts

STRONG BUYHOLDSTRONG SELL

Buy (2.2/5.0)

12 Buy / 7 Hold / 1 Sell

Price target range

analyst low$52.00
analyst high$103.00
analyst mean$98.39
current price$81.28

+20.2% upside to analyst mean

SO · 18 analysts

STRONG BUYHOLDSTRONG SELL

Hold (2.6/5.0)

7 Buy / 13 Hold / 3 Sell

Price target range

analyst low$72.00
analyst high$104.00
analyst mean$100.29
current price$86.76

+13.6% upside to analyst mean

Who should consider this stock?

NEE may suit investors who:

prefer the world's largest renewable energy developer with 6–8% annual EPS growth as the most aggressive utility growth compounder
value FPL's regulated Florida utility as a stable earnings base underneath a dynamic renewable development business
want the leading utility positioned for AI data center power demand and corporate renewable PPA growth
are comfortable with higher valuation (20–25x earnings) and interest rate sensitivity from NEE's development-driven debt load

SO may suit investors who:

prefer a traditional regulated utility with stable, conservative earnings from regulated rate recovery in multiple states
value Vogtle nuclear completion as clean baseload power positioning Southern for data center and industrial load growth in Georgia
want utility dividend income at a lower relative valuation than NEE with less exposure to renewable project development risk
are comfortable with slower EPS growth (4–5%) and Vogtle cost recovery regulatory process continuing to work through state regulators

Performance & AI score

Performance & AI score
Metric	NEE	SO
AI scorei	51.9	41.3
AI ranki	#432	#1061
Latest closei	$81.28	$86.76
1M returni	-5.73%	-5.77%
6M returni	-12.04%	-9.84%
1Y returni	+15.60%	-5.31%

$10,000 invested — hypothetical growth (dividends reinvested)

How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?

$10,000 invested — hypothetical growth (dividends reinvested)
Period	NEE	SO
1Y ago	$11.48K (+14.8%) started 2025-09-18	$9.49K (-5.1%) started 2025-09-18
5Y ago	$11.96K (+19.6%) started 2021-09-20	$18.19K (+81.9%) started 2021-09-20
10Y ago	$40.71K (+307.1%) started 2016-09-19	$37.42K (+274.2%) started 2016-09-19

Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.

Valuation & upside potential

Valuation & upside potential
Metric	NEE	SO
Market capi	$170.72B	$101.52B
Trailing P/Ei	18.39	21.27
Forward P/Ei	18.65	17.92
Price/Salesi	5.88	3.49
EV/Revenuei	10.07	5.91
Analyst targeti	$98.39	$100.29
Target upsidei	+20.22%	+13.64%

Growth, profitability & risk

Growth, profitability & risk
Metric	NEE	SO
Revenue growthi	12.40%	0.10%
Earnings growthi	53.10%	30.40%
EPS growthi	+53.10%	+30.40%
FCF margini	-61.91%	-12.97%
Operating margini	31.52%	29.61%
Profit margini	32.40%	15.43%
ROIC proxyi	11.68%	11.48%
Return on equityi	11.68%	11.48%
Dividend yieldi	3.05%	3.44%
Payout ratioi	53.47%	71.81%
Dividend growth streaki	No increase yet	No increase yet
Betai	0.65	0.33
Debt/equityi	161.68	182.06
Current ratioi	0.53	0.79
Quick ratioi	0.35	0.44

Correlation

Over the past year, NEE and SO have moved moderately in the same direction (correlation of 0.52), based on daily returns.

1Y

0.52

-1.0+1.0

5Y

0.59

-1.0+1.0

10Y

0.67

-1.0+1.0

Drawdown & downside risk

Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.

1Y risk snapshot

NEE max drawdowni17.89%

SO max drawdowni15.68%

NEE max wkly dropi6.94%

SO max wkly dropi5.84%

5Y risk snapshot

NEE max drawdowni44.97%

SO max drawdowni23.28%

NEE max wkly dropi22.71%

SO max wkly dropi11.77%

10Y risk snapshot

NEE max drawdowni44.97%

SO max drawdowni38.43%

NEE max wkly dropi24.36%

SO max wkly dropi23.39%

Performance metrics by period

Performance metrics by period
Period	Metric	NEE	SO
1Y	Growthi	+14.82%	-5.13%
	CAGRi	+14.84%	-5.14%
	Volatilityi	21.19%	17.20%
	Sharpe ratioi	0.55	-0.48
	Sortino ratioi	0.80	-0.68
	Max drawdowni	17.89%	15.68%
	Current drawdowni	16.96%	13.00%
	Avg drawdowni	6.01%	6.82%
	Ulcer Indexi	7.79%	7.93%
	Max daily dropi	4.63%	3.28%
	Max wkly dropi	6.94%	5.84%
5Y	Growthi	+8.90%	+56.40%
	CAGRi	+1.72%	+9.37%
	Volatilityi	26.86%	18.75%
	Sharpe ratioi	0.03	0.33
	Sortino ratioi	0.04	0.48
	Max drawdowni	44.97%	23.28%
	Current drawdowni	16.96%	13.00%
	Avg drawdowni	14.68%	6.44%
	Ulcer Indexi	17.61%	8.20%
	Max daily dropi	8.97%	4.70%
	Max wkly dropi	22.71%	11.77%
10Y	Growthi	+222.05%	+139.76%
	CAGRi	+12.41%	+9.14%
	Volatilityi	25.45%	21.99%
	Sharpe ratioi	0.41	0.30
	Sortino ratioi	0.58	0.44
	Max drawdowni	44.97%	38.43%
	Current drawdowni	16.96%	13.00%
	Avg drawdowni	9.41%	7.35%
	Ulcer Indexi	13.31%	9.52%
	Max daily dropi	13.42%	11.77%
	Max wkly dropi	24.36%	23.39%

AI Prediction Signali

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NEE

+2.8%BUY

+1.1%HOLD

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+6.4%BUY

+3.2%HOLD

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Business comparison

Business comparison
Category	NEE	SO
Company	NextEra Energy, Inc.	The Southern Company
Sector	Utilities	Utilities
Industry	Utilities - Regulated Electric	Utilities - Regulated Electric
Core business	NextEra Energy is the world's largest generator of renewable energy (wind and solar) through its NextEra Energy Resources subsidiary, alongside Florida Power & Light (FPL), a large regulated utility serving 5.8M customer accounts. NEE is the most growth-oriented utility in the S&P 500, targeting 6–8% EPS growth annually driven by renewable energy project development. Its Capital Recycler program allows NEE to sell minority stakes in operating renewable assets to fund new development capital.	Southern Company is a traditional regulated utility holding company serving Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Illinois through subsidiaries Georgia Power, Alabama Power, and others. It also owns Southern Company Gas and has completed Vogtle Units 3 and 4 — the first new nuclear reactors built in the US in decades — after years of delays and cost overruns. Southern's earnings profile is more conservative and less growth-oriented than NEE, with steady regulated earnings and a reliable dividend.
Investor focus	Investors track FPL regulated earnings growth, NEE Resources new renewable energy capacity additions (GW), battery storage development, Capital Recycler program execution, and EPS growth guidance achievement of 6–8% annually.	Investors track regulated utility earnings from Georgia Power and Alabama Power, Vogtle nuclear generation revenue as units reach full power, data center and industrial load growth in Georgia's construction economy, and dividend sustainability from regulated utility cash flows.

NEE strengths

World's largest renewable energy developer with decades of wind and solar project execution experience at scale
FPL's regulated Florida utility provides predictable earnings base with constructive regulatory relationships in a fast-growing service territory
6–8% long-term EPS growth guidance is the highest sustained growth target among large-cap regulated utilities

SO strengths

Vogtle nuclear units provide clean, baseload power generation that positions Southern Company for AI data center and electrification demand
Constructive regulatory relationships in Georgia and Alabama with rate case outcomes supportive of capital investment recovery
Georgia's strong economic growth (Microsoft, Hyundai, Rivian facilities) is driving significant load growth that benefits Georgia Power

Risks to watch — NEE

Higher interest rates increase the discount rate on renewable project economics and NEE's elevated debt load for development
NextEra Energy Partners (NEP) MLP subsidiary stress created near-term investor concern about the Capital Recycler strategy's economics
NEE's premium valuation relative to utility peers (typically 20–25x earnings) assumes sustained development execution and growth delivery

Risks to watch — SO

Vogtle nuclear plant cost overruns were significant ($35B+ total cost) — future cost recovery through rates is still working through regulators
Traditional utility earnings growth (4–5% EPS) is significantly lower than NEE's 6–8% target
Higher debt from Vogtle development limits Southern's balance sheet flexibility relative to peers

Frequently asked questions

NextEra is the better growth investment — its renewable development scale and 6–8% EPS growth target are unmatched in regulated utilities. Southern Company is the better income/value investment — more conservative earnings, Vogtle clean baseload, and less valuation risk from development execution. For utility growth investors, NextEra; for income and stability with clean nuclear exposure, Southern Company.

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