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Side-by-side financial comparison of Brookfield Business Partners L.P. (BBU) and Southern Company (SO). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

Southern Company is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($7.0B vs $6.7B, roughly 1.0× Brookfield Business Partners L.P.). Southern Company runs the higher net margin — 4.9% vs 2.0%, a 2.9% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Southern Company posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (10.1% vs -44.0%).

Brookfield Business Partners L.P. is a publicly traded limited partnership and the primary public vehicle through which Brookfield Corporation, its parent company, owns and operates the business services and industrial operations of its private equity group. It was formed through a spin-off from Brookfield Asset Management in June 2016.

Southern Company is an American gas and electric utility holding company based in the Southern United States. It is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with executive offices located in Birmingham, Alabama. As of 2021 it is the second largest utility company in the U.S. in terms of customer base. Through its subsidiaries it serves 9 million gas and electric utility customers in 6 states. Southern Company's regulated regional electric utilities serve a 120,000-square-mile (310,000 km2) territor...

BBU vs SO — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
SO
SO
1.0× larger
SO
$7.0B
$6.7B
BBU
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
SO
SO
+54.1% gap
SO
10.1%
-44.0%
BBU
Higher net margin
SO
SO
2.9% more per $
SO
4.9%
2.0%
BBU

Income Statement — Q2 FY2025 vs Q4 FY2025

Metric
BBU
BBU
SO
SO
Revenue
$6.7B
$7.0B
Net Profit
$135.0M
$341.0M
Gross Margin
Operating Margin
13.1%
Net Margin
2.0%
4.9%
Revenue YoY
-44.0%
10.1%
Net Profit YoY
107.7%
-26.8%
EPS (diluted)
$0.12
$0.38

Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.

8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend

Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.

Revenue
BBU
BBU
SO
SO
Q4 25
$7.0B
Q3 25
$7.8B
Q2 25
$6.7B
$7.0B
Q1 25
$7.8B
Q4 24
$6.3B
Q3 24
$7.3B
Q2 24
$11.9B
$6.5B
Q1 24
$6.6B
Net Profit
BBU
BBU
SO
SO
Q4 25
$341.0M
Q3 25
$1.7B
Q2 25
$135.0M
$880.0M
Q1 25
$1.3B
Q4 24
$466.0M
Q3 24
$1.5B
Q2 24
$65.0M
$1.2B
Q1 24
$1.1B
Operating Margin
BBU
BBU
SO
SO
Q4 25
13.1%
Q3 25
33.2%
Q2 25
25.3%
Q1 25
25.9%
Q4 24
16.7%
Q3 24
32.6%
Q2 24
30.0%
Q1 24
25.6%
Net Margin
BBU
BBU
SO
SO
Q4 25
4.9%
Q3 25
21.9%
Q2 25
2.0%
12.6%
Q1 25
16.3%
Q4 24
7.3%
Q3 24
21.1%
Q2 24
0.5%
18.6%
Q1 24
16.1%
EPS (diluted)
BBU
BBU
SO
SO
Q4 25
$0.38
Q3 25
$1.54
Q2 25
$0.12
$0.79
Q1 25
$1.21
Q4 24
$0.48
Q3 24
$1.39
Q2 24
$-0.10
$1.09
Q1 24
$1.03

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.

Metric
BBU
BBU
SO
SO
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$3.3B
$1.6B
Total DebtLower is stronger
$65.6B
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$15.3B
$36.0B
Total Assets
$75.3B
$155.7B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
1.82×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
BBU
BBU
SO
SO
Q4 25
$1.6B
Q3 25
$3.3B
Q2 25
$3.3B
$1.3B
Q1 25
$2.3B
Q4 24
$1.1B
Q3 24
$1.0B
Q2 24
$3.0B
$1.2B
Q1 24
$713.0M
Total Debt
BBU
BBU
SO
SO
Q4 25
$65.6B
Q3 25
$64.6B
Q2 25
$63.0B
Q1 25
$62.9B
Q4 24
$58.8B
Q3 24
$61.3B
Q2 24
$59.9B
Q1 24
$59.4B
Stockholders' Equity
BBU
BBU
SO
SO
Q4 25
$36.0B
Q3 25
$38.3B
Q2 25
$15.3B
$37.3B
Q1 25
$37.2B
Q4 24
$33.2B
Q3 24
$36.9B
Q2 24
$18.2B
$36.1B
Q1 24
$35.6B
Total Assets
BBU
BBU
SO
SO
Q4 25
$155.7B
Q3 25
$153.2B
Q2 25
$75.3B
$148.9B
Q1 25
$148.1B
Q4 24
$145.2B
Q3 24
$144.0B
Q2 24
$81.5B
$141.9B
Q1 24
$140.1B
Debt / Equity
BBU
BBU
SO
SO
Q4 25
1.82×
Q3 25
1.69×
Q2 25
1.69×
Q1 25
1.69×
Q4 24
1.77×
Q3 24
1.66×
Q2 24
1.66×
Q1 24
1.67×

Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency

How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.

Metric
BBU
BBU
SO
SO
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$2.6B
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$-1.7B
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
-24.2%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
61.4%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
7.62×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$-2.9B

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
BBU
BBU
SO
SO
Q4 25
$2.6B
Q3 25
$3.8B
Q2 25
$2.2B
Q1 25
$1.3B
Q4 24
$2.2B
Q3 24
$3.6B
Q2 24
$2.7B
Q1 24
$1.3B
Free Cash Flow
BBU
BBU
SO
SO
Q4 25
$-1.7B
Q3 25
$559.0M
Q2 25
$-619.0M
Q1 25
$-1.2B
Q4 24
$-576.0M
Q3 24
$1.3B
Q2 24
$563.0M
Q1 24
$-459.0M
FCF Margin
BBU
BBU
SO
SO
Q4 25
-24.2%
Q3 25
7.1%
Q2 25
-8.9%
Q1 25
-15.3%
Q4 24
-9.1%
Q3 24
17.9%
Q2 24
8.7%
Q1 24
-6.9%
Capex Intensity
BBU
BBU
SO
SO
Q4 25
61.4%
Q3 25
41.1%
Q2 25
40.2%
Q1 25
31.3%
Q4 24
43.4%
Q3 24
31.8%
Q2 24
32.9%
Q1 24
26.6%
Cash Conversion
BBU
BBU
SO
SO
Q4 25
7.62×
Q3 25
2.21×
Q2 25
2.48×
Q1 25
0.98×
Q4 24
4.66×
Q3 24
2.36×
Q2 24
2.23×
Q1 24
1.22×

Financial Flow Comparison

Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.

Revenue Breakdown by Segment

BBU
BBU

Segment breakdown not available.

SO
SO

Other$3.9B57%
Retail Electric Commercial$1.6B23%
Natural Gas Distribution Residential$689.0M10%
Natural Gas Distribution Transportation$371.0M5%
Wholesale Non Affiliates$123.0M2%
Natural Gas Distribution Other$76.0M1%
Wholesale Electric Non PPA Revenues$62.0M1%
Wholesale Affiliates$55.0M1%
Retail Electric Other$31.0M0%
Alternative Energy$20.0M0%
Natural Gas Distribution Industrial$15.0M0%

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