The WACC of Southern Co (SO) is 5.4%.
| Range | Selected | |
| Cost of equity | 5.60% - 7.10% | 6.35% |
| Tax rate | 11.30% - 14.30% | 12.80% |
| Cost of debt | 4.00% - 4.90% | 4.45% |
| WACC | 4.8% - 6.0% | 5.4% |
| Category | Low | High |
| Long-term bond rate | 3.9% | 4.4% |
| Equity market risk premium | 4.6% | 5.6% |
| Adjusted beta | 0.37 | 0.41 |
| Additional risk adjustments | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| Cost of equity | 5.60% | 7.10% |
| Tax rate | 11.30% | 14.30% |
| Debt/Equity ratio | 0.65 | 0.65 |
| Cost of debt | 4.00% | 4.90% |
| After-tax WACC | 4.8% | 6.0% |
| Selected WACC | 5.4% | |
The Cost of Equity reflects the return a company needs to deliver to shareholders to justify the risk of investing in its shares. It’s computed using the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), which blends the risk-free rate, the stock’s beta, and the market risk premium.
This method evaluates the stock’s risk compared to a safe investment and the market’s overall volatility.
Here’s how we figure out the cost of equity for SO:
cost_of_equity (6.35%) = risk_free_rate (4.15%) + equity_risk_premium (5.10%) * adjusted_beta (0.37) + risk_adjustments (0.25%)
We include the risk adjustments, which range from 0% to 1%, to keep our WACC conservatives, especially for companies traded in developing markets.