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Side-by-side financial comparison of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (LPLA) 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 $4.9B, roughly 1.7× LPL Financial Holdings Inc.). Southern Company runs the higher net margin — 15.9% vs 7.2%, a 8.7% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, LPL Financial Holdings Inc. posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (34.6% vs 8.0%). Over the past eight quarters, LPL Financial Holdings Inc.'s revenue compounded faster (29.8% CAGR vs 14.0%).
LPL Financial Holdings Inc. was founded in 1989 and is considered the largest independent broker-dealer in the United States. As of 2021 the company had more than 17,500 financial advisors, over US$1 trillion in advisory and brokerage assets, and generated approximately $10.3 billion in annual revenue for the 2023 fiscal year. LPL Financial has main offices in Boston, Fort Mill, Austin, and San Diego. The company is a member of FINRA and the SIPC.
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...
LPLA vs SO — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q1 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $4.9B | $8.4B |
| Net Profit | $356.4M | $1.3B |
| Gross Margin | 32.3% | — |
| Operating Margin | — | 24.0% |
| Net Margin | 7.2% | 15.9% |
| Revenue YoY | 34.6% | 8.0% |
| Net Profit YoY | — | 5.4% |
| EPS (diluted) | $4.43 | — |
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.
| Q1 26 | $4.9B | $8.4B | ||
| Q4 25 | $4.9B | $7.0B | ||
| Q3 25 | $4.6B | $7.8B | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.8B | $7.0B | ||
| Q1 25 | $3.7B | $7.8B | ||
| Q4 24 | $3.5B | $6.3B | ||
| Q3 24 | $3.1B | $7.3B | ||
| Q2 24 | $2.9B | $6.5B |
| Q1 26 | $356.4M | $1.3B | ||
| Q4 25 | $300.7M | $341.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $-29.5M | $1.7B | ||
| Q2 25 | $273.2M | $880.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $318.6M | $1.3B | ||
| Q4 24 | $270.7M | $466.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $255.3M | $1.5B | ||
| Q2 24 | $243.8M | $1.2B |
| Q1 26 | 32.3% | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | — | ||
| Q2 25 | — | — | ||
| Q1 25 | — | — | ||
| Q4 24 | — | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | — | ||
| Q2 24 | — | — |
| Q1 26 | — | 24.0% | ||
| Q4 25 | 8.1% | 13.1% | ||
| Q3 25 | -0.7% | 33.2% | ||
| Q2 25 | 9.6% | 25.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 11.4% | 25.9% | ||
| Q4 24 | 9.7% | 16.7% | ||
| Q3 24 | 11.2% | 32.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | 11.3% | 30.0% |
| Q1 26 | 7.2% | 15.9% | ||
| Q4 25 | 6.1% | 4.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | -0.6% | 21.9% | ||
| Q2 25 | 7.1% | 12.6% | ||
| Q1 25 | 8.7% | 16.3% | ||
| Q4 24 | 7.7% | 7.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | 8.2% | 21.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 8.3% | 18.6% |
| Q1 26 | $4.43 | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $3.65 | $0.38 | ||
| Q3 25 | $-0.37 | $1.54 | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.40 | $0.79 | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.24 | $1.21 | ||
| Q4 24 | $3.58 | $0.48 | ||
| Q3 24 | $3.39 | $1.39 | ||
| Q2 24 | $3.23 | $1.09 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $1.0B | — |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | — | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $5.7B | — |
| Total Assets | $18.8B | — |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | — | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | $1.0B | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $1.1B | $1.6B | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.6B | $3.3B | ||
| Q2 25 | $4.3B | $1.3B | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.4B | $2.3B | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.0B | $1.1B | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.6B | $1.0B | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.4B | $1.2B |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $7.3B | $65.6B | ||
| Q3 25 | $7.5B | $64.6B | ||
| Q2 25 | $7.2B | $63.0B | ||
| Q1 25 | $5.7B | $62.9B | ||
| Q4 24 | $5.5B | $58.8B | ||
| Q3 24 | $4.4B | $61.3B | ||
| Q2 24 | $4.4B | $59.9B |
| Q1 26 | $5.7B | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $5.3B | $36.0B | ||
| Q3 25 | $5.0B | $38.3B | ||
| Q2 25 | $5.1B | $37.3B | ||
| Q1 25 | $3.1B | $37.2B | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.9B | $33.2B | ||
| Q3 24 | $2.8B | $36.9B | ||
| Q2 24 | $2.5B | $36.1B |
| Q1 26 | $18.8B | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $18.5B | $155.7B | ||
| Q3 25 | $18.0B | $153.2B | ||
| Q2 25 | $17.5B | $148.9B | ||
| Q1 25 | $14.0B | $148.1B | ||
| Q4 24 | $13.3B | $145.2B | ||
| Q3 24 | $11.9B | $144.0B | ||
| Q2 24 | $11.5B | $141.9B |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 1.36× | 1.82× | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.49× | 1.69× | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.41× | 1.69× | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.82× | 1.69× | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.87× | 1.77× | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.60× | 1.66× | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.77× | 1.66× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
LPLA
| Advisory | $2.6B | 53% |
| Sales-based | $705.4M | 14% |
| Trailing | $486.6M | 10% |
| Client cash | $445.3M | 9% |
| Other | $394.5M | 8% |
| Service and fee | $211.0M | 4% |
| Transaction | $80.5M | 2% |
SO
Segment breakdown not available.
