PCG vs SO Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
PG&E and Southern Company represent very different utility risk profiles, with PG&E working through a wildfire liability recovery process in California, while Southern Company has maintained a long, stable track record of regulated earnings and dividend growth across the Southeast United States.
PCG offers potential asymmetric upside as its wildfire mitigation and regulatory recovery progresses, while SO offers proven long-term stability and dividend consistency. The decision depends on your appetite for turnaround risk versus a track record of steady performance.
SO holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. SO has delivered stronger 1-year price return (-4.71% vs -23.82%), though PCG has the better forward P/E setup (7.39x vs 17.92x for SO). SO leads on both revenue growth (0.10%) and operating margin (29.61%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for PCG (+55.90%) than for SO (+13.64%).
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 wildfire recovery and regulatory turnaround story
- Believe wildfire mitigation infrastructure investment will meaningfully reduce future liability risk
- Are comfortable with the elevated risk profile of a utility rebuilding regulatory trust
- See asymmetric upside potential in a company emerging from financial restructuring
- 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 | PCG | SO |
|---|---|---|
| AI scorei | 27.1 | 50.3 |
| AI ranki | #2343 | #495 |
| Latest closei | $12.63 | $92.89 |
| 1M returni | +1.77% | +11.29% |
| 3M returni | -29.24% | -4.48% |
| 6M returni | -23.96% | -0.64% |
| 1Y returni | -23.82% | -4.71% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | PCG | SO |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $7.75K (-22.5%) started 2025-10-23 | $9.66K (-3.4%) started 2025-10-23 |
| 5Y ago | $10.94K (+9.4%) started 2021-10-25 | $19.84K (+98.4%) started 2021-10-25 |
| 10Y ago | $2.24K (-77.6%) started 2016-10-24 | $41.31K (+313.1%) started 2016-10-24 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | PCG | SO |
|---|---|---|
| Market capi | $29.36B | $101.52B |
| Trailing P/Ei | 9.59 | 21.27 |
| Forward P/Ei | 7.39 | 17.92 |
| Price/Salesi | N/A | 3.49 |
| EV/Revenuei | 3.74 | 5.91 |
| Analyst targeti | $20.78 | $100.29 |
| Target upsidei | +55.90% | +13.64% |
| Metric | PCG | SO |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growthi | 0.10% | 0.10% |
| Earnings growthi | 39.80% | 30.40% |
| EPS growthi | +39.80% | +30.40% |
| FCF margini | -23.80% | -12.97% |
| Operating margini | 24.79% | 29.61% |
| Profit margini | 11.83% | 15.43% |
| ROIC proxyi | 9.32% | 11.48% |
| Return on equityi | 9.32% | 11.48% |
| Dividend yieldi | 1.42% | 3.44% |
| Payout ratioi | 14.81% | 71.81% |
| Dividend growth streaki | No increase yet | No increase yet |
| Betai | 0.28 | 0.33 |
| Debt/equityi | 189.45 | 182.06 |
| Current ratioi | 1.22 | 0.79 |
| Quick ratioi | 0.52 | 0.44 |
Over the past year, PCG and SO have moved weakly in the same direction (correlation of 0.38), 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 | PCG | SO |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | -22.52% | -3.39% |
| CAGRi | -22.54% | -3.40% | |
| Volatilityi | 34.67% | 17.91% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.69 | -0.36 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.83 | -0.51 | |
| Max drawdowni | 37.47% | 16.91% | |
| Current drawdowni | 33.91% | 6.28% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 11.42% | 6.50% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 14.91% | 7.56% | |
| Max daily dropi | 20.06% | 3.28% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 26.84% | 5.84% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | +8.86% | +70.52% |
| CAGRi | +1.71% | +11.28% | |
| Volatilityi | 29.25% | 18.90% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.05 | 0.42 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.07 | 0.61 | |
| Max drawdowni | 44.60% | 23.28% | |
| Current drawdowni | 41.45% | 6.85% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 12.87% | 6.64% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 17.08% | 8.42% | |
| Max daily dropi | 20.06% | 4.70% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 26.84% | 11.77% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | -78.36% | +164.67% |
| CAGRi | -14.20% | +10.23% | |
| Volatilityi | 60.14% | 22.04% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.02 | 0.35 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.04 | 0.50 | |
| Max drawdowni | 94.65% | 38.43% | |
| Current drawdowni | 82.12% | 6.85% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 66.91% | 7.24% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 71.75% | 9.51% | |
| Max daily dropi | 52.36% | 11.77% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 64.19% | 23.39% |
| Category | PCG | SO |
|---|---|---|
| Company | PG&E Corporation | 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 across Northern and Central California, having emerged from a major financial restructuring process related to past wildfire liabilities. | 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 | Wildfire mitigation infrastructure investment progress, regulatory relationship improvement with California regulators, and dividend restoration and earnings growth trajectory following its restructuring. | Regulated rate base growth across its Southeast service territories, nuclear plant reliability and cost management, and consistent dividend growth track record. |
- Substantial investment in wildfire mitigation infrastructure, including grid hardening and undergrounding, aims to reduce future liability exposure
- Large California service territory with significant population and economic activity provides a substantial long-term customer base
- Emergence from financial restructuring has provided an opportunity to rebuild the balance sheet and regulatory relationships
- 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
- Wildfire liability risk remains a persistent concern for California utilities given the state's fire-prone climate and terrain
- Regulatory and political relationships in California require continued careful management following past controversies
- Dividend restoration and earnings growth still need to demonstrate sustained consistency following the years of financial distress
- 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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