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SO (Southern Co) WACC % :5.65% (As of Oct. 31, 2024)


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What is Southern Co WACC %?

As of today (2024-10-31), Southern Co's weighted average cost of capital is 5.65%%. Southern Co's ROIC % is 4.29% (calculated using TTM income statement data). Southern Co earns returns that do not match up to its cost of capital. It will destroy value as it grows.

For a comprehensive WACC calculation, please access the WACC Calculator.


Southern Co WACC % Historical Data

The historical data trend for Southern Co's WACC % can be seen below:

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

* Premium members only.

Southern Co WACC % Chart

Southern Co Annual Data
Trend Dec14 Dec15 Dec16 Dec17 Dec18 Dec19 Dec20 Dec21 Dec22 Dec23
WACC %
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 3.32 3.38 4.21 5.38 5.51

Southern Co Quarterly Data
Sep19 Dec19 Mar20 Jun20 Sep20 Dec20 Mar21 Jun21 Sep21 Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23 Mar24 Jun24
WACC % Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 5.07 5.79 5.51 5.55 5.67

Competitive Comparison of Southern Co's WACC %

For the Utilities - Regulated Electric subindustry, Southern Co's WACC %, along with its competitors' market caps and WACC % data, can be viewed below:

* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.


Southern Co's WACC % Distribution in the Utilities - Regulated Industry

For the Utilities - Regulated industry and Utilities sector, Southern Co's WACC % distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where Southern Co's WACC % falls into.



Southern Co WACC % Calculation

The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is the rate that a company is expected to pay on average to all its security holders to finance its assets. The WACC is commonly referred to as the firm's cost of capital. Generally speaking, a company's assets are financed by debt and equity. WACC is the average of the costs of these sources of financing, each of which is weighted by its respective use in the given situation. By taking a weighted average, we can see how much interest the company has to pay for every dollar it finances.

WACC=E/(E + D)*Cost of Equity+D/(E + D)*Cost of Debt*(1 - Tax Rate)

1. Weights:
Generally speaking, a company's assets are financed by debt and equity. We need to calculate the weight of equity and the weight of debt.
The market value of equity (E) is also called "Market Cap". As of today, Southern Co's market capitalization (E) is $99638.319 Mil.
The market value of debt is typically difficult to calculate, therefore, GuruFocus uses book value of debt (D) to do the calculation. It is simplified by adding the latest one-year quarterly average Short-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation and Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation together. As of Jun. 2024, Southern Co's latest one-year quarterly average Book Value of Debt (D) is $63791.2 Mil.
a) weight of equity = E / (E + D) = 99638.319 / (99638.319 + 63791.2) = 0.6097
b) weight of debt = D / (E + D) = 63791.2 / (99638.319 + 63791.2) = 0.3903

2. Cost of Equity:
GuruFocus uses Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) to calculate the required rate of return. The formula is:
Cost of Equity = Risk-Free Rate of Return + Beta of Asset * (Expected Return of the Market - Risk-Free Rate of Return)
a) GuruFocus uses 10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Rate as the risk-free rate. It is updated daily. The current risk-free rate is 4.282%. Please go to Economic Indicators page for more information. Please note that we use the 10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Rate of the country/region where the company is headquartered. If the data for that country/region is not available, then we will use the 10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Rate of the United States as default.
b) Beta is the sensitivity of the expected excess asset returns to the expected excess market returns. Southern Co's beta is 0.46.
c) (Expected Return of the Market - Risk-Free Rate of Return) is also called market premium. GuruFocus requires market premium to be 6%.
Cost of Equity = 4.282% + 0.46 * 6% = 7.042%

3. Cost of Debt:
GuruFocus uses latest TTM Interest Expense divided by the latest one-year quarterly average debt to get the simplified cost of debt.
As of Jun. 2024, Southern Co's interest expense (positive number) was $2613 Mil. Its total Book Value of Debt (D) is $63791.2 Mil.
Cost of Debt = 2613 / 63791.2 = 4.0962%.

4. Multiply by one minus TTM Tax Rate:
GuruFocus uses the most recent TTM Tax Expense divided by the most recent TTM Pre-Tax Income to calculate the tax rate. The calculated TTM tax rate is limited to between 0% and 100%. If the calculated tax rate is higher than 100%, it is set to 100%. If the calculated tax rate is less than 0%, it is set to 0%.
The latest calculated TTM Tax Rate = 814 / 5301 = 15.36%.

Southern Co's Weighted Average Cost Of Capital (WACC) for Today is calculated as:

WACC=E / (E + D)*Cost of Equity+D / (E + D)*Cost of Debt*(1 - Tax Rate)
=0.6097*7.042%+0.3903*4.0962%*(1 - 15.36%)
=5.65%

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.


Southern Co  (NYSE:SO) WACC % Explanation

Because it costs money to raise capital. A firm that generates higher ROIC % than it costs the company to raise the capital needed for that investment is earning excess returns. A firm that expects to continue generating positive excess returns on new investments in the future will see its value increase as growth increases, whereas a firm that earns returns that do not match up to its cost of capital will destroy value as it grows.

As of today, Southern Co's weighted average cost of capital is 5.65%%. Southern Co's ROIC % is 4.29% (calculated using TTM income statement data). Southern Co earns returns that do not match up to its cost of capital. It will destroy value as it grows.


Be Aware

1. GuruFocus uses book value of debt (D) to do the calculation. It is simplified by adding latest one-year quarterly average Short-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation and Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation together.
For companies that report quarterly, GuruFocus combines all of the most recent year's quarterly debt data from the beginning of the year to the year-end and calculates the average.
For companies that report semi-annually, GuruFocus combines all of the most recent year's semi-annual debt data from the start of the year to the year-end and calculates the average.
For companies that report annually, GuruFocus combines the beginning and ending annual debt data from the most recent year and then calculates the average.

2. The WACC formula discussed above does not include Preferred Stock. Please adjust if preferred stock is considered.

3. (Expected Return of the Market - Risk-Free Rate of Return) is also called market premium. GuruFocus requires market premium to be 6%.

4. GuruFocus uses the latest TTM Interest Expense divided by the latest one-year quarterly average debt to get the simplified cost of debt.


Related Terms

Southern Co Business Description

Address
30 Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard, Northwest, Atlanta, GA, USA, 30308
Southern is one of the largest utilities in the U.S. The company serves 9 million customers with vertically integrated electric utilities in three states and natural gas distribution utilities in four states. It owns 50 gigawatts of rate-regulated generating capacity, primarily for serving customers in Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. Subsidiary Southern Power owns 13 gigawatts of natural gas generation and renewable energy across the U.S. and sells the electricity primarily under long-term contracts.
Executives
Bryan D Anderson officer: EVP & Pres. External Affairs 30 IVAN ALLEN JR. BLVD. NW, ATLANTA GA 30308
Spainhour Sterling A Jr. officer: EVP, Chief Legal Officer & CCO 4370 PEACHTREE ROAD, NE, ATLANTA GA 30319
Anthony L Wilson officer: President, Mississippi Power 30 IVAN ALLEN JR. BLVD, ATLANTA GA 30308
Sloane N Drake officer: EVP, CHRO 30 IVAN ALLEN JR BLVD NW, ATLANTA GA 30308
Kimberly S, Greene officer: President & CEO, SCS 30 IVAN ALLEN JR. BLVD., NW, ATLANTA GA 30308
Christopher Cummiskey officer: EVP & CCCS Officer 241 RALPH MCGILL BLVD., ATLANTA GA 30308
Stephen E Kuczynski officer: Pres. & CEO, Southern Nuclear 30 IVAN ALLEN JR. BLVD, NW, ATLANTA GA 30308
David P. Poroch officer: Comptroller 241 RALPH MCGILL BLVD., ATLANTA GA 30308
Shantella E. Cooper director 241 RALPH MCGILL BLVD., NW, ATLANTA GA 30308
Martin Bernard Davis officer: EVP and CIO 520 GERVAIS STREET, C/O SOUTH STATE CORP, COLUMBIA SC 29201
Thomas A Fanning officer: CFO
Lizanne Thomas director 1420 PEACHTREE STREET NE, SUITE 800, ATLANTA GA 30309
David E Meador director ONE ENERGY PLAZA, DETROIT MI 48226
James Jeffrey Peoples officer: Chairman, President & CEO, APC 600 NORTH 18TH STREET, BIRMINGHAM AL 35203
Kerr, Ii James Y officer: Executive VP & General Counsel 30 IVAN ALLEN JR. BLVD., NW, ATLANTA GA 30308