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Side-by-side financial comparison of Duke Energy (DUK) and Southern Company (SO). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

Southern Company is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($8.4B vs $7.9B, roughly 1.1× Duke Energy). Duke Energy runs the higher net margin — 20.0% vs 15.9%, a 4.1% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Duke Energy posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (491.0% vs 8.0%). Over the past eight quarters, Southern Company's revenue compounded faster (14.0% CAGR vs 5.0%).

Duke Energy Corporation is an American electric power and natural gas holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company serves over 7 million customers in the eastern United States. In 2024 it ranked as the 141st largest company in the United States – its highest-ever placement on the Fortune 500 list.

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...

DUK vs SO — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
SO
SO
1.1× larger
SO
$8.4B
$7.9B
DUK
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
DUK
DUK
+483.0% gap
DUK
491.0%
8.0%
SO
Higher net margin
DUK
DUK
4.1% more per $
DUK
20.0%
15.9%
SO
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
SO
SO
Annualised
SO
14.0%
5.0%
DUK

Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q1 FY2026

Metric
DUK
DUK
SO
SO
Revenue
$7.9B
$8.4B
Net Profit
$1.6B
$1.3B
Gross Margin
Operating Margin
34.6%
24.0%
Net Margin
20.0%
15.9%
Revenue YoY
491.0%
8.0%
Net Profit YoY
603.6%
5.4%
EPS (diluted)

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
DUK
DUK
SO
SO
Q1 26
$7.9B
$8.4B
Q4 25
$7.8B
$7.0B
Q3 25
$8.4B
$7.8B
Q2 25
$7.4B
$7.0B
Q1 25
$8.2B
$7.8B
Q4 24
$7.2B
$6.3B
Q3 24
$8.1B
$7.3B
Q2 24
$7.2B
$6.5B
Net Profit
DUK
DUK
SO
SO
Q1 26
$1.6B
$1.3B
Q4 25
$1.2B
$341.0M
Q3 25
$1.4B
$1.7B
Q2 25
$984.0M
$880.0M
Q1 25
$1.4B
$1.3B
Q4 24
$1.2B
$466.0M
Q3 24
$1.3B
$1.5B
Q2 24
$900.0M
$1.2B
Operating Margin
DUK
DUK
SO
SO
Q1 26
34.6%
24.0%
Q4 25
27.3%
13.1%
Q3 25
27.9%
33.2%
Q2 25
24.8%
25.3%
Q1 25
28.5%
25.9%
Q4 24
29.2%
16.7%
Q3 24
26.4%
32.6%
Q2 24
23.9%
30.0%
Net Margin
DUK
DUK
SO
SO
Q1 26
20.0%
15.9%
Q4 25
15.2%
4.9%
Q3 25
17.0%
21.9%
Q2 25
13.3%
12.6%
Q1 25
16.8%
16.3%
Q4 24
16.6%
7.3%
Q3 24
15.8%
21.1%
Q2 24
12.6%
18.6%
EPS (diluted)
DUK
DUK
SO
SO
Q1 26
Q4 25
$1.49
$0.38
Q3 25
$1.81
$1.54
Q2 25
$1.25
$0.79
Q1 25
$1.76
$1.21
Q4 24
$1.54
$0.48
Q3 24
$1.60
$1.39
Q2 24
$1.13
$1.09

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

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

Metric
DUK
DUK
SO
SO
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$2.1B
Total DebtLower is stronger
$54.1B
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$56.5B
Total Assets
$198.0B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
0.96×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
DUK
DUK
SO
SO
Q1 26
$2.1B
Q4 25
$245.0M
$1.6B
Q3 25
$688.0M
$3.3B
Q2 25
$344.0M
$1.3B
Q1 25
$475.0M
$2.3B
Q4 24
$314.0M
$1.1B
Q3 24
$376.0M
$1.0B
Q2 24
$390.0M
$1.2B
Total Debt
DUK
DUK
SO
SO
Q1 26
$54.1B
Q4 25
$80.1B
$65.6B
Q3 25
$64.6B
Q2 25
$63.0B
Q1 25
$62.9B
Q4 24
$76.3B
$58.8B
Q3 24
$61.3B
Q2 24
$59.9B
Stockholders' Equity
DUK
DUK
SO
SO
Q1 26
$56.5B
Q4 25
$51.8B
$36.0B
Q3 25
$51.5B
$38.3B
Q2 25
$50.9B
$37.3B
Q1 25
$50.7B
$37.2B
Q4 24
$50.1B
$33.2B
Q3 24
$49.1B
$36.9B
Q2 24
$49.7B
$36.1B
Total Assets
DUK
DUK
SO
SO
Q1 26
$198.0B
Q4 25
$195.7B
$155.7B
Q3 25
$192.3B
$153.2B
Q2 25
$189.7B
$148.9B
Q1 25
$187.5B
$148.1B
Q4 24
$186.3B
$145.2B
Q3 24
$183.6B
$144.0B
Q2 24
$181.6B
$141.9B
Debt / Equity
DUK
DUK
SO
SO
Q1 26
0.96×
Q4 25
1.55×
1.82×
Q3 25
1.69×
Q2 25
1.69×
Q1 25
1.69×
Q4 24
1.52×
1.77×
Q3 24
1.66×
Q2 24
1.66×

Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency

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

Metric
DUK
DUK
SO
SO
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$-65.0M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
-0.04×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
DUK
DUK
SO
SO
Q1 26
$-65.0M
Q4 25
$3.7B
$2.6B
Q3 25
$3.6B
$3.8B
Q2 25
$2.9B
$2.2B
Q1 25
$2.2B
$1.3B
Q4 24
$3.4B
$2.2B
Q3 24
$3.5B
$3.6B
Q2 24
$3.0B
$2.7B
Free Cash Flow
DUK
DUK
SO
SO
Q1 26
Q4 25
$-485.0M
$-1.7B
Q3 25
$179.0M
$559.0M
Q2 25
$-417.0M
$-619.0M
Q1 25
$-971.0M
$-1.2B
Q4 24
$288.0M
$-576.0M
Q3 24
$537.0M
$1.3B
Q2 24
$-43.0M
$563.0M
FCF Margin
DUK
DUK
SO
SO
Q1 26
Q4 25
-6.2%
-24.2%
Q3 25
2.1%
7.1%
Q2 25
-5.7%
-8.9%
Q1 25
-11.8%
-15.3%
Q4 24
4.0%
-9.1%
Q3 24
6.6%
17.9%
Q2 24
-0.6%
8.7%
Capex Intensity
DUK
DUK
SO
SO
Q1 26
Q4 25
53.3%
61.4%
Q3 25
41.2%
41.1%
Q2 25
44.5%
40.2%
Q1 25
38.3%
31.3%
Q4 24
42.7%
43.4%
Q3 24
36.8%
31.8%
Q2 24
41.9%
32.9%
Cash Conversion
DUK
DUK
SO
SO
Q1 26
-0.04×
Q4 25
3.09×
7.62×
Q3 25
2.56×
2.21×
Q2 25
2.91×
2.48×
Q1 25
1.58×
0.98×
Q4 24
2.80×
4.66×
Q3 24
2.75×
2.36×
Q2 24
3.28×
2.23×

Financial Flow Comparison

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

Revenue Breakdown by Segment

DUK
DUK

Regulated electric$7.8B99%
Nonregulated electric and other$61.0M1%

SO
SO

Segment breakdown not available.

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