Southern Company (SO)

Number of days of payables

		Dec 31, 2023	Sep 30, 2023	Jun 30, 2023	Mar 31, 2023	Dec 31, 2022	Sep 30, 2022	Jun 30, 2022	Mar 31, 2022	Dec 31, 2021	Sep 30, 2021	Jun 30, 2021	Mar 31, 2021	Dec 31, 2020	Sep 30, 2020	Jun 30, 2020	Mar 31, 2020	Dec 31, 2019	Sep 30, 2019	Jun 30, 2019	Mar 31, 2019
Payables turnover		0.65	0.42	0.50	0.53	0.35	0.51	0.52	0.76	1.05	0.72	0.80	0.76	0.61	1.08	1.19	1.22	0.75	0.92	0.85	0.94
Number of days of payables	days	559.37	878.03	736.80	693.91	1,052.88	719.95	697.84	478.52	348.15	507.54	454.33	479.06	598.50	338.60	307.52	299.87	489.52	398.37	429.49	389.27

December 31, 2023 calculation

Number of days of payables = 365 ÷ Payables turnover
= 365 ÷ 0.65
= 559.37

The number of days of payables for Southern Company has varied over the past eight quarters. In Q4 2023, it was 141.94 days, significantly higher than in Q3 2023 (121.83 days) and the highest among the latest quarters. This indicates that the company took longer to pay its suppliers in Q4 2023. The number of days of payables decreased compared to Q2 2023 (86.94 days) and Q1 2023 (74.17 days), suggesting more efficient management of payables during these periods.

Comparing the latest quarter to the same quarter in the previous year, the number of days of payables in Q4 2023 (141.94 days) was higher than in Q4 2022 (108.78 days), indicating a prolonged payment period in the recent quarter. However, it has fluctuated throughout the quarters in 2022, with Q3 and Q1 showing somewhat similar levels of payables days (104.32 days and 106.00 days, respectively), and Q2 2022 having a higher figure of 117.40 days.

Overall, the trend in the number of days of payables for Southern Company has been fluctuating, with some quarters showing more extended payment periods compared to others. Sustainable management of payables is crucial for maintaining liquidity and supplier relationships.