News Release > Entergy reports 2022 financial results, initiates 2023 earnings guidance

Entergy reports 2022 financial results, initiates 2023 earnings guidance

02/16/2023

Results in top half of guidance range for 7th consecutive year

NEW ORLEANS – Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR) reported fourth quarter 2022 earnings per share of 51 cents on an as-reported and adjusted basis (non-GAAP). For the full year, the company reported 2022 earnings per share of $5.37 on an as-reported basis and $6.42 on an adjusted basis.

“We finished 2022 strong and delivered meaningful outcomes for our key stakeholders,” said Drew Marsh, Entergy chairman and chief executive officer. “We have laid out a clear path that will deliver exceptional customer value including clean energy and resilience.”

Business highlight included the following:

• The PUCT approved E-TX’s request to construct Orange County Advanced Power Station.
• E-LA filed its Entergy Future Ready resilience plan with the LPSC seeking approval for the first five years of the ten-year accelerated resilience and hardening plan.
• The LPSC approved E-LA’s Hurricane Ida storm recovery and securitization financing.
• E-AR and the U.S. General Services Administration signed the federal government’s first MOU with a utility to provide regionally-sourced nuclear and renewable energy.
• River Bend Station began its 22^nd refueling outage after a 675-day continuous run, the longest in the plant’s history.
• The APSC approved E-AR’s annual FRP.
• EEI awarded Entergy its Emergency Response Award for its mutual assistance efforts in supporting Hurricane Ian restoration.
• Entergy was named to a Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the 21^st consecutive year.
• Newsweek named Entergy as one of America’s most responsible companies and one of America’s greatest workplaces for diversity.

Calculations may differ due to rounding

Consolidated results

For fourth quarter 2022, the company reported earnings of $106 million, or 51 cents per share, on an as-reported basis, and earnings of $107 million, or 51 cents per share, on an adjusted basis. This compared to fourth quarter 2021 earnings of $259 million, or $1.28 per share, on an as-reported basis, and earnings of $155 million, or 76 cents per share, on an adjusted basis.

For full year 2022, the company reported earnings of $1,103 million, or $5.37 per share, on an as-reported basis, and earnings of $1,320 million, or $6.42 per share, on an adjusted basis. This compared to 2021 earnings of $1,118 million, or $5.54 per share, on an as-reported basis, and earnings of $1,215 million, or $6.02 per share, on an adjusted basis.

Summary discussions by business follow. Additional details, including information on OCF by business, are provided in Appendix A. An analysis of quarterly and full year variances by business is provided in Appendix B.

Business segment results

Utility

For full year 2022, the Utility business reported earnings attributable to Entergy Corporation of $1,407 million, or $6.84 per share, on an as-reported basis, and earnings of $1,686 million, or $8.20 per share, on an adjusted basis. This compared to full year 2021 earnings of $1,490 million, or $7.38 per share, on an as-reported basis, and earnings of $1,464 million, or $7.25 per share, on an adjusted basis. There were several drivers for the year’s results.

2022 results include a regulatory charge of $(551 million) ($(413 million) after tax) that SERI recorded to increase a regulatory liability to reflect the effects of a partial settlement agreement and offer of settlement related to pending proceedings before the FERC (this item was considered an adjustment and excluded from adjusted earnings).

Also in 2022, as a result of receiving approvals for storm cost recovery and issuance of securitized debt at E-LA and E-TX, the companies recorded the following:

• carrying costs on storm expenditures not previously recorded (the equity portion of carrying costs related to prior years was considered an adjustment and excluded from adjusted earnings),
• a reduction in other income to account for LURC’s 1 percent beneficial interest in the trust established as part of E-LA’s securitization (considered an adjustment and excluded from adjusted earnings),
• a reduction in income tax expense as a result of securitization (considered an adjustment and excluded from adjusted earnings), and
• amounts reserved to share benefits of securitization with customers (considered an adjustment and excluded from adjusted earnings).

Other drivers for the year included:

• the net effect of regulatory actions across the operating companies;
• higher retail sales volume including the impacts of weather;
• various regulatory provisions;
• higher operating expenses including other O&M, depreciation expense, and taxes other than income taxes;
• higher income from intercompany preferred investments (offset at P&O and largely earnings neutral for the consolidated result);
• higher interest expense; and
• higher effective income tax rate.

On a per share basis, 2022 results reflected higher diluted average number of common shares outstanding.

Appendix C contains additional details on Utility operating and financial measures.

Parent & Other

For full year 2022, Parent & Other reported a loss attributable to Entergy Corporation of $(366 million), or $(1.78) per share, on an as-reported and an adjusted basis. This compared to a full year 2021 loss of $(249 million), or $(1.23) per share, on an as-reported basis, and a loss of $(248 million), or $(1.23) per share, on an adjusted basis.

Drivers for the full year included higher interest on intercompany preferred investments (offset at Utility and largely earnings neutral for the consolidated result), an increase in charitable contributions, and higher interest expense.

On a per share basis, 2022 results reflected higher diluted average number of common shares outstanding.

Entergy Wholesale Commodities

For full year 2022, EWC reported earnings attributable to Entergy Corporation of $63 million, or 31 cents per share, on an as-reported basis. This compared to full year 2021 loss attributable to Entergy Corporation of $(123 million), or (61) cents per share, on an as-reported basis. The primary drivers for the year were due to the shutdown and sale of EWC’s nuclear plants.

Specific variances included lower asset write-offs and impairments, and lower operating expenses including other O&M, decommissioning expense, depreciation expense, and nuclear refueling outage expense. These drivers were partially offset by lower revenue, lower earnings on NDTs, and income tax items.

Appendix D contains additional details on EWC operating and financial measures, including reconciliation for non-GAAP EWC adjusted EBITDA.

Earnings per share guidance

Entergy initiated its 2023 adjusted EPS guidance range of $6.55 to $6.85. See webcast presentation for additional details.

The company has provided 2023 earnings guidance with regard to the non-GAAP measure of Entergy adjusted EPS. This measure excludes from the corresponding GAAP financial measure the effect of adjustments as described below under “Non-GAAP financial measures.” The company has not provided a reconciliation of such non-GAAP guidance to guidance presented on a GAAP basis because it cannot predict and quantify with a reasonable degree of confidence all of the adjustments that may occur during the period. Potential adjustments include the exclusion of regulatory charges related to outstanding regulatory complaints and significant income tax positions.

Earnings teleconference

A teleconference will be held at 10:00 a.m. Central Time on Thursday, February 16, 2023, to discuss Entergy’s quarterly earnings announcement and the company’s financial performance. The teleconference and a replay of the teleconference may be accessed by visiting Entergy’s website at www.entergy.com. For participants who would like to participate via telephone, please register at https://register.vevent.com/register/BI859dfe14dbd944c695a4ea640f532291 to receive the dial-in number along with a unique PIN that is required to access the call (the registration link can also be found on Entergy’s website). The webcast presentation is also being posted to Entergy’s website concurrent with this news release.

Entergy Corporation, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in New Orleans, powers life for 3 million customers through its operating companies across Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Entergy is creating a cleaner, more resilient energy future for everyone with our diverse power generation portfolio, including increasingly carbon-free energy sources. With roots in the Gulf South region for more than a century, Entergy is a recognized leader in corporate citizenship, delivering more than $100 million in economic benefits to local communities through philanthropy and advocacy efforts annually over the last several years. Our approximately 12,000 employees are dedicated to powering life today and for future generations.

Entergy Corporation’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and NYSE Chicago under the symbol “ETR”.

Details regarding Entergy’s results of operations, regulatory proceedings, and other matters are available in this earnings release, a copy of which will be filed with the SEC, and the webcast presentation. Both documents are available on Entergy’s Investor Relations website at www.entergy.com/investors.

Entergy maintains a web page as part of its Investor Relations website, entitled Regulatory and Other Information, which provides investors with key updates on certain regulatory proceedings and important milestones on the execution of its strategy. While some of this information may be considered material information, investors should not rely exclusively on this page for all relevant company information.

For definitions of certain operating measures, as well as GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures and abbreviations and acronyms used in the earnings release materials, see Appendix F.

Non-GAAP financial measures

This news release contains non-GAAP financial measures, which are generally numerical measures of a company’s performance, financial position, or cash flows that either exclude or include amounts that are not normally excluded or included in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. Entergy has provided quantitative reconciliations within this news release of the non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures.

Entergy reports earnings using the non-GAAP measure of Entergy adjusted earnings, which excludes the effect of certain “adjustments.” In 2022, that included the removal of the Entergy Wholesale Commodities segment in light of the company’s exit from the merchant power business. Beginning in 2023, as a result of the successful exit from the merchant power business, Entergy Wholesale Commodities will no longer be a reportable segment and any remaining financial activity from that business will no longer be adjusted in its entirety from Entergy’s results (individual items could be considered for adjustment if they meet the criteria). Adjustments are unusual or non-recurring items or events or other items or events that management believes do not reflect the ongoing business of Entergy, such as the results of the EWC segment, significant tax items, and other items such as certain costs, expenses, or other specified items. In addition to reporting GAAP consolidated earnings on a per share basis, Entergy reports its adjusted earnings on a per share basis. These per share measures represent the applicable earnings amount divided by the diluted average number of common shares outstanding for the period.

Management uses the non-GAAP financial measures of adjusted earnings and adjusted earnings per share for, among other things, financial planning and analysis; reporting financial results to the board of directors, employees, stockholders, analysts, and investors; and internal evaluation of financial performance. Entergy believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors in evaluating the ongoing results of Entergy’s business, comparing period to period results, and comparing Entergy’s financial performance to the financial performance of other companies in the utility sector.

Other non-GAAP measures, including adjusted EBITDA; adjusted ROE; adjusted ROE, excluding affiliate preferred; gross liquidity; net liquidity; net liquidity, including storm escrows; debt to capital, excluding securitization debt; net debt to net capital, excluding securitization debt; parent debt to total debt, excluding securitization debt; FFO to debt, excluding securitization debt; and FFO to debt, excluding securitization debt, return of unprotected excess ADIT, and severance and retention payments associated with exit of EWC, are measures Entergy uses internally for management and board discussions and to gauge the overall strength of its business. Entergy believes the above data provides useful information to investors in evaluating Entergy’s ongoing financial results and flexibility, and assists investors in comparing Entergy’s credit and liquidity to the credit and liquidity of others in the utility sector. In addition, ROE is included on both an adjusted and an as-reported basis. Metrics defined as “adjusted” (other than EWC’s adjusted EBITDA) exclude the effect of adjustments as defined above. EWC’s adjusted EBITDA represents EWC’s earnings before interest, taxes, and depreciation and amortization, and also excludes decommissioning expense.

These non-GAAP financial measures reflect an additional way of viewing aspects of Entergy’s operations that, when viewed with Entergy’s GAAP results and the accompanying reconciliations to corresponding GAAP financial measures, provide a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting Entergy’s business. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be used to the exclusion of GAAP financial measures. Investors are strongly encouraged to review Entergy’s consolidated financial statements and publicly filed reports in their entirety and not to rely on any single financial measure. Although certain of these measures are intended to assist investors in comparing Entergy’s performance to other companies in the utility sector, non-GAAP financial measures are not standardized; therefore, it might not be possible to compare these financial measures with other companies’ non-GAAP financial measures having the same or similar names.

Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements

In this news release, and from time to time, Entergy Corporation makes certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding Entergy’s 2023 earnings guidance; current financial and operational outlooks; industrial load growth outlooks; statements regarding its climate transition and resilience plans, goals, beliefs, or expectations; and other statements of Entergy’s plans, beliefs, or expectations included in this news release. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this news release. Except to the extent required by the federal securities laws, Entergy undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements, including (a) those factors discussed elsewhere in this news release and in Entergy’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Entergy’s other reports and filings made under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; (b) uncertainties associated with (1) rate proceedings, formula rate plans, and other cost recovery mechanisms, including the risk that costs may not be recoverable to the extent or on the timeline anticipated by the utilities and (2) implementation of the ratemaking effects of changes in law; (c) uncertainties associated with (1) realizing the benefits of its resilience plan, including impacts of the frequency and intensity of future storms and storm paths, as well as the pace of project completion and (2) efforts to remediate the effects of major storms and recover related restoration costs; (d) risks associated with operating nuclear facilities, including plant relicensing, operating, and regulatory costs and risks; (e) changes in decommissioning trust fund values or earnings or in the timing or cost of decommissioning Entergy’s nuclear plant sites; (f) legislative and regulatory actions and risks and uncertainties associated with claims or litigation by or against Entergy and its subsidiaries; (g) risks and uncertainties associated with executing on business strategies, including strategic transactions that Entergy or its subsidiaries may undertake and the risk that any such transaction may not be completed as and when expected and the risk that the anticipated benefits of the transaction may not be realized; (h) impacts from terrorist attacks, geopolitical conflicts, cybersecurity threats, data security breaches, or other attempts to disrupt Entergy’s business or operations, and/or other catastrophic events; (i) the direct and indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Entergy and its customers; and (j) effects on Entergy or its customers of (1) changes in federal, state, or local laws and regulations and other governmental actions or policies, including changes in monetary, fiscal, tax, environmental, or energy policies; (2) the effects of changes in commodity markets, capital markets, or economic conditions; and (3) the effects of technological change, including the costs, pace of development, and commercialization of new and emerging technologies.

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