SSE (CHIX:SSEL) Graham Number: £17.18 (As of Mar. 2026) — 1394% Above Median

Author: Vera Yuan Vera Yuan
Vera Yuan
Vera Yuan
Director of Data and Quant Analytics at GuruFocus
Focused on building reliable datasets, financial models, and research tools for value-minded investors. Committed to turning complex data into practical guidance for value-investing and long-term wealth.
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Charlie Tian
Charlie Tian
Founder & CEO of GuruFocus
Dr. Charlie Tian is the founder and CEO of GuruFocus.com, a leading global investment research platform established in 2004. With a Ph.D. in physics, Dr. Tian transitioned from science to finance, applying a data-driven, disciplined approach to value investing.

CHIX:SSEL SSE PLC CHIX:SSEL
75 GF Score
Price £24.85
GF Value £16.62
Valuation Significantly Overvalued
! 8 Warning Signs
View Full Analysis

What is SSE Graham Number?

SSE CHIX:SSEL +1.89% 75 Graham Number is £17.18 as of Mar. 2026, which is 100% below its 10-year median of 1.15. GuruFocus rates CHIX:SSEL with a GF Score™ of 75/100 and a GF Value™ of £16.62 (Significantly Overvalued). The stock has 8 warning signs investors should review. Among 417 Utilities - Regulated companies, SSE ranks worse than 65.71% on this metric.

Graham Number is a figure that measures a stock's fundamental value by taking into account the company's earnings per share and book value per share. The Graham number is the upper bound of the price range that a defensive investor should pay for the stock. According to the theory, any stock price below the Graham number is considered undervalued, and thus worth investing in.

As of today (2026-07-20), the stock price of SSE is £24.85. SSE's graham number for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was £17.18. Therefore, SSE's Price to Graham Number ratio for today is 1.45.

The historical rank and industry rank for SSE's Graham Number or its related term are showing as below:

CHIX:SSEl' s Price-to-Graham-Number Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 0.91   Med: 1.15   Max: 1.84
Current: 1.45

During the past 13 years, the highest Price to Graham Number ratio of SSE was 1.84. The lowest was 0.91. And the median was 1.15.

CHIX:SSEl's Price-to-Graham-Number is ranked worse than
65.71% of 417 companies
in the Utilities - Regulated industry
Industry Median: 1.13 vs CHIX:SSEl: 1.45

Graham Number is a combination of asset valuation and earnings power valuation. It is a very conservative way of valuing a stock.


SSE  (CHIX:SSEl) Graham Number Explanation

Ben Graham actually did not publish a formula like this. But he wrote in The Intelligent Investor (1948 version) regarding to the criteria for purchases:

Current price should not be more than 15 times average earnings of the past three years.

Current price should not be more than 1.5 times the book value last reported. However, a multiplier of earnings below 15 could justify a correspondingly higher multiplier of assets. As a rule of thumb we suggest that the product of the multiplier times the ratio of price to book value should not exceed 22.5. (This figure corresponds to 15 times earnings and 1.5 times book value. It would admit an issue selling at only 9 times earnings and 2.5 times asset value, etc.)

Unlike valuation methods such as DCF or Discounted Earnings, the Graham number does not take growth into the valuation. Unlike the valuation methods based on book value alone, it takes into account the earnings power. Therefore, the Graham Number is a combination of asset valuation and earnings power valuation.

In general, the Graham number is a very conservative way of valuing a stock. It cannot be applied to companies with negative book values.

SSE's Price to Graham number Ratio for today is calculated as

Price to Graham number=Share Price (Today)/Graham number (Q: Mar. 2026 )
=24.85/17.18
=1.45

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.


Be Aware

Please keep these in mind:

1. Graham Number does not take growth into account. Therefore it underestimates the values of the companies that have good earnings growth. We feel that if the earnings per share grows more than 10% a year, Graham Number underestimates the value.
2. Graham Number punishes the companies that have temporarily low earnings. Therefore, an average of earnings makes more sense in the calculation of Graham Number.
3. Graham Numbers underestimates companies that are light with book.


SSE Graham Number Related Terms


SSE Graham Number Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for SSE's Graham Number can be seen below:

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

SSE Graham Number Chart

SSE Annual Data
Trend Mar17 Mar18 Mar19 Mar20 Mar21 Mar22 Mar23 Mar24 Mar25 Mar26
Graham Number
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 19.19 0.00 18.23 16.35 17.18

SSE Semi-Annual Data
Sep16 Mar17 Sep17 Mar18 Sep18 Mar19 Sep19 Mar20 Sep20 Mar21 Sep21 Mar22 Sep22 Mar23 Sep23 Mar24 Sep24 Mar25 Sep25 Mar26
Graham Number Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 18.25 18.66 16.31 15.79 17.18

CHIX:SSEL vs SRE, AES: Graham Number Comparison

For the Utilities - Diversified subindustry, SSE's Price-to-Graham-Number, along with its competitors' market caps and Price-to-Graham-Number data, can be viewed below:

* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.


SSE Price-to-Graham-Number vs Utilities - Regulated Industry

For the Utilities - Regulated industry and Utilities sector, SSE's Price-to-Graham-Number distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where SSE's Price-to-Graham-Number falls into.


CHIX:SSEL
75GF Score
SSE PLC CHIX:SSEL
Graham Number is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
View Full Analysis

SSE Graham Number Calculation

Graham Number is a concept based on Ben Graham's conservative valuation of companies.

SSE's Graham Number for the fiscal year that ended in Mar. 2026 is calculated as

Graham Number
=sqrt of (22.5* Tangible Book per Share *EPS without NRI)
=sqrt of (22.5*11.111*1.18)
=17.18

SSE's Graham Number for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 is calculated as

Graham Number
=sqrt of (22.5*Tangible Book per Share*EPS without NRI (TTM))
=sqrt of (22.5*11.111*1.18)
=17.18

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

Frequently Asked Questions Learn more about Graham Number →
What does a Graham Number of £17.18 mean?
SSE (CHIX:SSEL) has a Graham Number of £17.18 as of Mar. 2026. The Graham Number values a company based on its per-share earnings and book value. View historical data on SSE and its competitors. This is 1394% above median its historical median of 1.15. Over the past decade, SSE's Graham Number has ranged from 0.91 to 1.84. According to the industry distribution chart, SSE ranks #274 out of 417 companies in the Utilities - Regulated industry, placing it in the top 65.7%.
Is SSE's Graham Number too high?
SSE's current Graham Number of £17.18 is 1394% above median its 10-year median of 1.15. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 0.91 to a high of 1.84. Based on the distribution chart, SSE ranks #274 out of 417 companies in the Utilities - Regulated industry, which is below the industry midpoint. Overall, SSE has a GF Score™ of 75/100 and is considered Significantly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does SSE's Graham Number compare to SRE and AES?
According to the Utilities - Regulated industry distribution chart, SSE ranks #274 out of 417 companies for Graham Number. This places SSE in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Graham Number is 1.13. Historically, SSE's own Graham Number has ranged from 0.91 to 1.84 over the past decade. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Graham Number for an Utilities - Regulated company?
The median Graham Number among Utilities - Regulated companies is 1.13, based on 417 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Graham Number significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Graham Number should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Graham Number mean?
A high Graham Number can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Graham Number values a company based on its per-share earnings and book value. View historical data on SSE and its competitors. For the Utilities - Regulated industry, the median Graham Number is 1.13 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. SSE's current Graham Number is £17.18, which is 1394% above median its own 10-year median of 1.15. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is SSE stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, SSE (CHIX:SSEL) is currently considered Significantly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is £16.62, compared to a current price of £24.85 — trading 49.5% above its estimated fair value. The current Graham Number is £17.18, which is 1394% above median its 10-year median of 1.15. SSE's overall GF Score™ is 75/100 with 8 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Graham Number calculated?
Graham Number is calculated from a company's financial statements. For SSE (CHIX:SSEL), the current Graham Number is £17.18 as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.

Is SSE (CHIX:SSEL) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, SSE stock appears to be overvalued. The current stock price of £24.85 is trading 49.5% above its estimated GF Value™ of £16.62. GuruFocus considers SSE to be Significantly Overvalued.

Key valuation signals for CHIX:SSEL:

  • Graham Number: £17.18 (1394% above median its 10-year median of 1.15)
  • GF Value™: £16.62 vs. price of £24.85 (49.5% above fair value)
  • GF Score™: 75/100 with 8 warning signs

No single metric tells the full story. See the CHIX:SSEL stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.


SSE Business Description

Address 200 Dunkeld Road, Inveralmond House, Perth, Perthshire, GBR, PH1 3AQ
SSE is an integrated utility based in the United Kingdom owning and operating renewables and gas-fired power plants and electricity transmission and distribution networks. The firm is also involved in smaller related businesses such as gas storage and energy services.
75GF Score

Get the complete analysis for CHIX:SSEL

Graham Number is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.

£24.85
Price
£16.62
GF Value