News Release > Entergy Reports First Quarter Earnings

Entergy Reports First Quarter Earnings

05/11/2020

Company affirms guidance and financial outlooks

NEW ORLEANS – Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR) reported first quarter 2020 earnings of 59 cents per share on an as-reported basis and $1.14 per share on an adjusted basis (non-GAAP). 

“The past few months have presented extraordinary circumstances, and we extend our well-wishes to all affected. We also extend our deepest thanks to everyone working tirelessly to help those in need,” said Entergy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Leo Denault. “Providing safe, reliable power is essential, especially during times like these; that’s why at Entergy we plan and prepare for the extraordinary, and our response has been effective. We are meeting the needs and expectations of our customers and communities, our major projects remain on track, and our capital plan is unchanged. Our first quarter results were solid, and recent events have not changed our objective to be the premier utility that delivers sustainable value for our stakeholders.” 

 Business highlights included the following:

• Entergy affirms 2020 adjusted EPS guidance of $5.45 to $5.75.
• The Lake Charles Power Station was placed in service on budget and ahead of schedule.
• Entergy Texas issued an RFP for a 1,000MW to 1,200MW CCGT and Entergy Louisiana issued an RFP for 250MW of solar resources.
• Entergy Mississippi received approval for the Sunflower Solar project and Entergy Arkansas received approval for the Searcy Solar project.
• Entergy Mississippi made its annual formula rate plan filing.
• Entergy Texas filed for an increase in its distribution cost recovery factor.
• Indian Point Unit 2 was permanently shutdown.
• The Entergy Charitable Foundation established the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund. 

Calculations may differ due to rounding 

Consolidated Results

For first quarter 2020, the company reported earnings of $119 million, or 59 cents per share, on an as-reported basis, and earnings of $230 million, or $1.14 per share, on an adjusted basis. This compared to first quarter 2019 earnings of $255 million, or $1.32 per share, on an as-reported basis, and earnings of $158 million, or 82 cents per share, on an adjusted basis. 

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

Business Segment Results

Utility 

For first quarter 2020, the Utility business reported earnings attributable to Entergy Corporation of $320 million, or $1.59 per share, on both an as-reported and an adjusted basis. This compared to first quarter 2019 earnings of $231 million, or $1.20 per share, on both an as-reported basis and an adjusted basis. Drivers for the quarter included:

• rate activity at E-AR, E-LA, E-MS, and E-TX;
• a first quarter 2019 reserve at E-AR;
• higher nuclear insurance refunds, as well as lower fossil and nuclear generation spending;
• a favorable book-to-tax permanent difference related to stock-based compensation; and
• an IRS settlement related to Hurricane Isaac Act 55 financing, net of customer sharing (largely offset by higher tax expense from this settlement at P&O). 

These drivers were partially offset by:

• higher pension and benefits expenses;
• higher depreciation and interest expenses; and
• lower sales volume, including the net effect of billed and unbilled sales, and the effects of weather. 

On a per share basis, first quarter 2020 results reflected higher common shares outstanding. 

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

Parent & Other 

For first quarter 2020, Parent & Other reported a loss attributable to Entergy Corporation of $(90 million), or (45) cents per share, on both an as-reported basis and an adjusted basis. This compared to a loss of $(73 million), or (38) cents per share, on both an as-reported and an adjusted basis in first quarter 2019. The main driver for the quarter was higher income tax expense resulting from the IRS settlement related to Hurricane Isaac Act 55 financing, which largely offsets the benefit from this settlement at the Utility. 

On a per share basis, first quarter 2020 results reflected higher common shares outstanding. 

Entergy Wholesale Commodities 

For first quarter 2020, EWC reported a loss attributable to Entergy Corporation of $(111 million), or (55) cents per share, on an as-reported basis. This compared to first quarter 2019 earnings attributable to Entergy Corporation of $97 million, or 50 cents per share, on an as-reported basis. Drivers for the quarter included:

• losses on decommissioning trust funds; and
• lower revenue due to the shutdown of Pilgrim, as well as lower nuclear pricing. 

These drivers were partially offset by:

• lower impairments as compared to a year ago;
• lower other O&M expense due to the shutdown of Pilgrim, as well as lower severance and retention expense;
• higher nuclear volume; and
• an income tax item related to the sale of Vermont Yankee recorded in first quarter 2019. 

On a per share basis, first quarter 2020 results reflected higher common shares outstanding. 

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

Earnings per Share Guidance 

Entergy affirmed its 2020 adjusted EPS guidance range of $5.45 to $5.75. See webcast presentation slides for additional details. 

The company has provided 2020 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. One such adjustment will be the exclusion of EWC earnings from Entergy adjusted EPS. We currently estimate that the contribution of EWC to Entergy’s as-reported EPS will be approximately $(1.25) in 2020. These estimates are subject to substantial uncertainty due to, among other things, the potential effects of exiting the EWC business. 

Earnings Teleconference 

A teleconference will be held at 10:00 a.m. Central Time on Monday, May 11, 2020, to discuss Entergy’s quarterly earnings announcement and the company’s financial performance. The teleconference may be accessed by visiting Entergy’s website at www.entergy.com or by dialing 844-309-6569, conference ID 5242577, no more than 15 minutes prior to the start of the call. The webcast slide presentation is also posted to Entergy’s website concurrent with this news release, which was issued before market open on the day of the call. A replay of the teleconference will be available on Entergy’s website at www.entergy.com and by telephone. The telephone replay will be available through May 18, 2020, by dialing 855-859-2056, conference ID 5242577. 

Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including 8,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.9 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of $11 billion and approximately 13,600 employees. 

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 slide presentation. Both documents are available on Entergy’s Investor Relations website at www.entergy.com/investor_relations. 

Entergy maintains a web page as part of its Investor Relations website, entitled Regulatory and Other Information, which provides investors with key updates of 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,” including the removal of the Entergy Wholesale Commodities segment in light of the company’s decision to exit the merchant power business. 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 ROIC; gross liquidity; net liquidity; net liquidity, including storm escrow balances; debt to capital, excluding securitization debt; net debt to net capital, excluding securitization debt; parent debt to total debt, excluding securitization debt; FFO; 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, other financial measures including net income (or earnings), adjusted for preferred dividends and tax-effected interest expense; return on average invested capital; and return on average common equity are included on both an adjusted and an as-reported basis. In each case, the metrics defined as “adjusted” (other than EWC’s adjusted EBITDA) excludes 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, Entergy’s 2020 earnings guidance; its current financial and operational outlooks; 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 anticipated by the utilities and (2) implementation of the ratemaking effects of changes in law; (c) uncertainties associated with 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 strategic transactions that Entergy or its subsidiaries may undertake, including 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) effects of 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; (i) the effects of technological changes and changes in commodity markets, capital markets, or economic conditions; (j) impacts from a terrorist attack, cybersecurity threats, data security breaches or other attempts to disrupt Entergy’s business or operations, and/or other catastrophic events; and (k) the direct and indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Entergy and its customers.

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