MO vs. SO

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Altria Group, Inc. (MO) and The Southern Company (SO).

Performance

MO vs. SO - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Altria Group, Inc. (MO) and The Southern Company (SO). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

MO vs. SO - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
MO Altria Group, Inc.	16.36%	18.17%	40.76%	-3.70%	4.37%	24.18%	-10.21%	7.87%	-27.14%	9.45%
SO The Southern Company	11.56%	9.47%	21.72%	2.21%	8.24%	16.34%	0.63%	51.65%	-3.75%	2.42%

Fundamentals

Market Cap MO : $110.67B SO : $107.04B
EPS MO : $4.13 SO : $3.92
PE Ratio MO : 15.97 SO : 24.64
PEG Ratio MO : 0.34 SO : 1.53
PS Ratio MO : 5.31 SO : 3.62
Total Revenue (TTM) MO : $20.91B SO : $29.55B
Gross Profit (TTM) MO : $14.54B SO : $22.08B
EBITDA (TTM) MO : $10.70B SO : $7.26B

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, MO achieves a 16.36% return, which is significantly higher than SO's 11.56% return. Over the past 10 years, MO has underperformed SO with an annualized return of 7.47%, while SO has yielded a comparatively higher 10.97% annualized return.

MO

• 1D: -1.54%
• 1M: -2.82%
• YTD: 16.36%
• 6M: 3.43%
• 1Y: 17.68%
• 3Y*: 23.20%
• 5Y*: 13.81%
• 10Y*: 7.47%

SO

• 1D: -0.42%
• 1M: -0.88%
• YTD: 11.56%
• 6M: 3.49%
• 1Y: 8.42%
• 3Y*: 15.56%
• 5Y*: 13.29%
• 10Y*: 10.97%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Return for Risk

MO vs. SO — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

MO

MO Risk / Return Rank: 67
MO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 71
MO Sortino Ratio Rank: 62
MO Omega Ratio Rank: 63
MO Calmar Ratio Rank: 69
MO Martin Ratio Rank: 70

SO

SO Risk / Return Rank: 55
SO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 61
SO Sortino Ratio Rank: 51
SO Omega Ratio Rank: 49
SO Calmar Ratio Rank: 57
SO Martin Ratio Rank: 58

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

MO vs. SO - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Altria Group, Inc. (MO) and The Southern Company (SO). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	MO	SO	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.84	0.51	+0.33
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.20	0.81	+0.39
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.17	1.10	+0.07
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.31	0.63	+0.68
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	3.34	1.53	+1.81
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

MO vs. SO - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current MO Sharpe Ratio is 0.84, which is higher than the SO Sharpe Ratio of 0.51. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of MO and SO, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	MO	SO	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.84	0.51	+0.33
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.68	0.72	-0.04
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.33	0.50	-0.17
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.56	0.63	-0.07

Correlation

The correlation between MO and SO is 0.29, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

MO vs. SO - Dividend Comparison

MO's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 6.36%, more than SO's 3.07% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
MO Altria Group, Inc.	6.36%	7.21%	7.65%	9.52%	8.05%	7.43%	8.29%	6.57%	6.07%	3.56%	3.48%	3.73%
SO The Southern Company	3.07%	3.37%	3.47%	3.96%	3.78%	3.82%	4.13%	3.86%	5.42%	4.78%	4.52%	4.60%

Drawdowns

MO vs. SO - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum MO drawdown since its inception was -81.02%, which is greater than SO's maximum drawdown of -38.43%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for MO and SO.

Drawdown Indicators

	MO	SO	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-81.02%	-38.43%	-42.59%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-16.40%	-14.99%	-1.41%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-25.83%	-23.28%	-2.55%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-53.69%	-38.43%	-15.26%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-3.74%	-2.61%	-1.13%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-17.45%	-6.88%	-10.57%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	6.43%	6.14%	+0.29%

Volatility

MO vs. SO - Volatility Comparison

Altria Group, Inc. (MO) has a higher volatility of 5.97% compared to The Southern Company (SO) at 4.89%. This indicates that MO's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than SO based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	MO	SO	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	5.97%	4.89%	+1.08%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	16.64%	12.17%	+4.47%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	21.34%	16.68%	+4.66%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	20.45%	18.47%	+1.98%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	22.72%	21.90%	+0.82%

Financials