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SO vs DARDEN: Dividend Comparison 2026

SO yields 3.05% · DARDEN yields 4.00%● Live data

vsPost on X →
After 10 years · $10,000 invested · DRIP enabled
🏆 DARDEN wins by $5.4K in total portfolio value
10 years
SO
The Southern Company
● Live price
3.05%
Share price
$96.94
Annual div
$2.96
5Y div CAGR
7.7%
Payout ratio
50%
After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP
Portfolio value
$22.7K
Annual income
$874.49
Full SO calculator →
DARDEN
DARDEN
● Live price
4.00%
Share price
$50.00
Annual div
$2.00
5Y div CAGR
5%
Payout ratio
50%
After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP
Portfolio value
$28.0K
Annual income
$899.19
Full DARDEN calculator →

Portfolio growth — SO vs DARDEN

📍 DARDEN pulled ahead of the other in Year 1

Annual dividend income

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Recession Test — Did They Cut Dividends?

How each stock treated shareholders during the 3 biggest crises of the last 20 years

Crisis PeriodSODARDEN
2008–2009
GFC
— No data— No data
2020 Q1–Q2
COVID
— No data— No data
2022 Q4
Rate Hike
— No data— No data
Based on dividend payment history. "Increased" = dividend grew during crisis. "Maintained" = held within 3%. "Cut" = reduced by more than 3%.
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Dividend Calendar Overlap

Combined, SO + DARDEN cover 0 of 12 monthsgood coverage

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
SO pays
DARDEN pays
Both pay
Neither
💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

Which stock is actually better after tax? Adjust your rate to find out.

SO
Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)
$259.56/yr
After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)
$743.32/yr
DARDEN
Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)
$340.00/yr
After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)
$764.31/yr
At 15% tax rate, DARDEN beats the other by $21.00/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000
⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of SO + DARDEN for your $10,000?

SO: 50%DARDEN: 50%
100% DARDEN50/50100% SO
Portfolio after 10yr
$25.4K
Annual income
$886.84/yr
Blended yield
3.50%
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Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on SO right now

SO
Analyst Ratings
11
Buy
21
Hold
1
Sell
Consensus: Hold
Price Target
$98.25
+1.4% upside vs current
Range: $76.00 — $112.00
Altman Z
1.0
Piotroski
5/9
DARDEN
No analyst data
Analyst ratings via FMP. Altman Z-Score: >3.0 safe, 1.81–3.0 grey zone, <1.81 distress. Piotroski: 7–9 strong, 0–3 weak.
🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

SO buys
13
DARDEN buys
0
PoliticianChamberTickerTypeAmountDate
Jared Moskowitz🏢 House$SO▲ Buy$1,001 - $15,0002025-12-02
Marjorie Taylor Greene🏢 House$SO▲ Buy$1,001 - $15,0002025-08-28
Jared Moskowitz🏢 House$SO▲ Buy$1,001 - $15,0002025-04-07
Marjorie Taylor Greene🏢 House$SO▲ Buy$1,001 - $15,0002025-04-03
Marjorie Taylor Greene🏢 House$SO▲ Buy$1,001 - $15,0002024-11-07
Valerie Hoyle🏢 House$SO▲ Buy$1,001 - $15,0002024-10-29
John James🏢 House$SO▼ Sell$1,001 - $15,0002024-09-04
Jared Moskowitz🏢 House$SO▲ Buy$1,001 - $15,0002024-07-05
Jared Moskowitz🏢 House$SO▲ Buy$1,001 - $15,0002024-07-05
Marjorie Taylor Greene🏢 House$SO▲ Buy$1,001 - $15,0002024-05-21
STOCK Act mandates disclosure within 45 days of transaction. Data via FMP.Full tracker →
MetricSODARDEN
Forward yield3.05%4.00%
Annual dividend / share$2.96$2.00
Payout ratio50%50%
1-year div growth0%5%
5-year div CAGR7.7%5%
Portfolio after 10y$22.7K$28.0K
Annual income after 10y$874.49$899.19
Total dividends collected$5.6K$6.4K
Payment frequencyquarterlyquarterly
SectorUtilitiesStock

Year-by-year: SO vs DARDEN ($10,000, DRIP)

YearSO PortfolioSO Income/yrDARDEN PortfolioDARDEN Income/yrGap
1← crossover$10,809$328.87$11,120$420.00$311.00DARDEN
2$11,693$365.31$12,357$458.31$664.00DARDEN
3$12,660$406.13$13,721$499.76$1.1KDARDEN
4$13,720$451.89$15,227$544.58$1.5KDARDEN
5$14,882$503.27$16,885$593.02$2.0KDARDEN
6$16,157$560.99$18,713$645.34$2.6KDARDEN
7$17,559$625.92$20,724$701.81$3.2KDARDEN
8$19,100$699.03$22,938$762.73$3.8KDARDEN
9$20,799$781.46$25,372$828.41$4.6KDARDEN
10$22,672$874.49$28,047$899.19$5.4KDARDEN

SO vs DARDEN: Complete Analysis 2026

SOUtilities

The Southern Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. It operates through Gas Distribution Operations, Gas Pipeline Investments, Wholesale Gas Services, and Gas Marketing Services segments. The company also develops, constructs, acquires, owns, and manages power generation assets, including renewable energy projects and sells electricity in the wholesale market; and distributes natural gas in Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee, as well as provides gas marketing services, wholesale gas services, and gas pipeline investments operations. In addition, it owns and/or operates 30 hydroelectric generating stations, 24 fossil fuel generating stations, three nuclear generating stations, 13 combined cycle/cogeneration stations, 45 solar facilities, 15 wind facilities, one fuel cell facility, and four battery storage facility; and constructs, operates, and maintains 76,289 miles of natural gas pipelines and 14 storage facilities with total capacity of 157 Bcf to provide natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. The company serves approximately 8.7 million electric and gas utility customers. Further, the company offers digital wireless communications and fiber optics services. The Southern Company was incorporated in 1945 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Full SO Calculator →

DARDENStock

DARDEN is a dividend-paying stock. Use this calculator to estimate your future dividend income, DRIP compounding returns, and passive income potential from investing in DARDEN shares.

Full DARDEN Calculator →
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⚠️ Educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Congressional trades sourced from SEC STOCK Act filings via FMP. Past performance does not guarantee future results.