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Stock Comparison · Industry comparison · Utilities - Regulated Electric

DTE Energy Company vs The Southern Company: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

The Southern Company holds the cleaner structural position, with profitability as the main driver and stability adding further support. DTE Energy Company does not offset that deficit through any equally strong structural edge elsewhere. Both sides have seen trend damage — neither carries a clear market edge right now. With both trends damaged, the structural comparison carries most of the weight here.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-08-16

The clearest separation starts in profitability, but stability adds another real layer to the result. The overall score gap is 17 points in favour of The Southern Company.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Utilities - Regulated Electric

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. DTE and SO share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how DTE Energy Company and The Southern Company each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
DTE
DTE Energy Company
51
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
SO
The Southern Company
68
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

Score differences across key dimensions.

Dimension spread: DTE vs SO Profitability 39 72 Stability 52 74 Valuation 68 66 Growth 43 61 DTE SO
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +33
#2 Stability +22
#3 Growth +18
#4 Valuation +2
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for DTE and SO Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer DTESO Relative valuation Structural strength

The setup is mixed: neither company clearly combines the stronger profile with the more supportive price setup.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where DTE and SO each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY DTE Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 0 pct gap SO Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 92nd 92nd
DTE (92nd percentile) and SO (92nd percentile) both sit in the upper portion of their own 5-year ranges. The historical entry context is broadly similar for both. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
On profitability, The Southern Company ranks near the top of the group; DTE Energy Company sits in the weaker half.
Stability
On stability, the edge still sits with The Southern Company, even though both profiles look solid.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
DTE
39
SO
72
Gap+33in favour of SO

The profitability lead is mainly driven by a 16-point operating margin advantage.

What else supports the lead

Stability adds another layer of support rather than leaving the result tied to profitability alone.

What this means for the comparison

Profitability is the clearest driver, and stability also supports The Southern Company's broader structural position.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the DTE vs SO comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Similar profitability-and-stability comparisons

Explore how DTE and SO each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.