SO vs. NRG

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about The Southern Company (SO) and NRG Energy, Inc. (NRG).

Performance

SO vs. NRG - Performance Comparison

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

SO vs. NRG - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
SO The Southern Company	12.04%	9.47%	21.72%	2.21%	8.24%	16.34%	0.63%	51.65%	-3.75%	2.42%
NRG NRG Energy, Inc.	-5.57%	78.91%	78.58%	69.36%	-23.47%	18.54%	-2.14%	0.69%	39.59%	133.69%

Fundamentals

Market Cap SO : $107.51B NRG : $29.83B
EPS SO : $3.92 NRG : $4.39
PE Ratio SO : 24.74 NRG : 34.12
PEG Ratio SO : 1.53 NRG : 0.51
PB Ratio SO : 2.98 NRG : 28.93
Total Revenue (TTM) SO : $29.55B NRG : $0.00
Gross Profit (TTM) SO : $22.08B NRG : $0.00
EBITDA (TTM) SO : $7.26B NRG : $1.80B

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, SO achieves a 12.04% return, which is significantly higher than NRG's -5.57% return. Over the past 10 years, SO has underperformed NRG with an annualized return of 11.02%, while NRG has yielded a comparatively higher 30.57% annualized return.

SO

• 1D: 0.44%
• 1M: -0.30%
• YTD: 12.04%
• 6M: 3.91%
• 1Y: 9.04%
• 3Y*: 15.73%
• 5Y*: 13.39%
• 10Y*: 11.02%

NRG

• 1D: 2.57%
• 1M: -14.63%
• YTD: -5.57%
• 6M: -6.89%
• 1Y: 54.03%
• 3Y*: 67.36%
• 5Y*: 35.75%
• 10Y*: 30.57%

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

Return for Risk

SO vs. NRG — Risk / Return Rank

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

SO

SO Risk / Return Rank: 54
SO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 60
SO Sortino Ratio Rank: 51
SO Omega Ratio Rank: 49
SO Calmar Ratio Rank: 55
SO Martin Ratio Rank: 56

NRG

NRG Risk / Return Rank: 76
NRG Sharpe Ratio Rank: 74
NRG Sortino Ratio Rank: 72
NRG Omega Ratio Rank: 72
NRG Calmar Ratio Rank: 82
NRG Martin Ratio Rank: 80

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.

SO vs. NRG - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for The Southern Company (SO) and NRG Energy, Inc. (NRG). 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.

	SO	NRG	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.55	1.02	-0.47
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.86	1.71	-0.85
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.11	1.23	-0.13
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.59	2.54	-1.94
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	1.45	6.05	-4.60
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

SO vs. NRG - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current SO Sharpe Ratio is 0.55, which is lower than the NRG Sharpe Ratio of 1.02. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of SO and NRG, 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

	SO	NRG	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.55	1.02	-0.47
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.73	0.92	-0.19
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.50	0.79	-0.28
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.63	0.38	+0.25

Correlation

The correlation between SO and NRG is 0.30, 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

SO vs. NRG - Dividend Comparison

SO's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 3.05%, more than NRG's 1.20% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
SO The Southern Company	3.05%	3.37%	3.47%	3.96%	3.78%	3.82%	4.13%	3.86%	5.42%	4.78%	4.52%	4.60%
NRG NRG Energy, Inc.	1.20%	1.11%	1.81%	2.92%	4.40%	3.02%	3.20%	0.30%	0.30%	0.42%	1.92%	4.93%

Drawdowns

SO vs. NRG - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum SO drawdown since its inception was -38.43%, smaller than the maximum NRG drawdown of -79.41%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for SO and NRG.

Drawdown Indicators

	SO	NRG	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-38.43%	-79.41%	+40.98%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-14.99%	-23.26%	+8.27%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-23.28%	-32.62%	+9.34%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-38.43%	-48.76%	+10.33%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-2.19%	-18.55%	+16.36%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-6.88%	-28.06%	+21.18%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	6.14%	9.75%	-3.61%

Volatility

SO vs. NRG - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for The Southern Company (SO) is 4.89%, while NRG Energy, Inc. (NRG) has a volatility of 15.32%. This indicates that SO experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than NRG based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	SO	NRG	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	4.89%	15.32%	-10.43%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	12.15%	32.27%	-20.12%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	16.66%	53.38%	-36.72%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	18.48%	39.08%	-20.60%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	21.90%	39.02%	-17.12%

Financials