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American Electric (AEP) Q3 Earnings Beat, Revenues Fall Y/Y

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American Electric Power Co., Inc. (AEP - Free Report) reported third-quarter 2020 adjusted earnings per share of $1.47, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.46 by 0.7%. The bottom line also improved 0.7% from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure.

The company reported GAAP earnings of $1.51 per share compared with the year-ago quarter’s earnings of $1.49.

Total Revenues

American Electric’s third-quarter revenues of $4.1 billion missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.5 billion by 8.3%. The reported figure also declined 4.7% from the year-ago quarter’s $4.3 billion.

 

Quarterly Highlights

Total adjusted expenses in the quarter were $1,875 million compared with $1,941.7 million a year ago.

Adjusted operating income was $728.2 million, up 0.8% from $722.3 million in the year-ago quarter.

Segmental Performance

Vertically Integrated Utility Operations: Operating earnings in the quarter decreased to $422.5 million from $437.9 million in the year-ago quarter.

Transmission & Distribution Utilities: Operating earnings were $152.6 million, up from $133.9 million in the year-ago quarter.

AEP Transmission Holdco: This segment generated operating earnings of $139.6 million, up from $126.1 million in the second quarter of 2019.

Generation and Marketing: Operating earnings were $63.2 million, down from $78.3 million in the year-ago quarter.

Corporate & Other: Operating losses were $49.7 million compared with operating loss of $53.9 million in the year-ago quarter.

Financial Update

As of Sep 30, 2020, American Electric had cash and cash equivalents of $409.7 million compared with $246.8 million as of Dec 31, 2019.

Long-term debt was $28.16 billion as of Sep 30, 2020, compared with $25.13 billion as of Dec 31, 2019.

Cash flow from operations was $2,922.2 million at the end of third-quarter 2020 compared with $3,349.9 million at the end of second-quarter 2019.

2020 Guidance

American Electric reaffirmed 2020 operating earnings guidance in the range of $4.25-$4.45 per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2020 earnings, pegged at $4.32, lies below the mid-point of the guidance.

Zacks Rank

American Electric currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Stocks to Consider

Here are some players from the Utilities sector that have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in the to-be-reported quarter.

Edison International (EIX - Free Report) is set to release third-quarter earnings on Oct 27. It has an Earnings ESP of +3.45% and a Zacks Rank #3, presently.

CMS Energy (CMS - Free Report) is set to release third-quarter earnings on Oct 29. It has an Earnings ESP of +0.47% and a Zacks Rank #3, currently. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

ONEOK (OKE - Free Report) is expected to release third-quarter numbers on Oct 27. It has an Earnings ESP of +4.68% and a Zacks Rank of 3, currently.

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