News Release > Entergy Reports Second Quarter Earnings

Entergy Reports Second Quarter Earnings

08/01/2018

NEW ORLEANS – Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR) reported second quarter 2018 earnings per share of $1.34 on an as-reported basis and $1.79 on an operational basis (non-GAAP), which excludes the effects of special items. Results included 31 cents of income tax benefits from the settlement of its 2012-2013 IRS audit. 

“Our results this quarter keep us on track to meet the strategic, operational and financial objectives that we reinforced at our Analyst Day in June,” said Entergy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Leo Denault. “We continue to make significant progress toward transitioning to a pure play utility, as evidenced by our announcement to sell EWC’s Pilgrim and Palisades nuclear plants after their scheduled shutdowns.” 

Business highlights included the following:

• Entergy entered into purchase and sale agreements for EWC’s Pilgrim and Palisades nuclear plants.
• The LPSC approved Entergy Louisiana’s planned acquisition of Washington Parish Energy Center.
• ANO Units 1 and 2 returned to Column 1 of the NRC’s reactor oversight process.
• Entergy Louisiana and Entergy Arkansas each submitted annual formula rate plan filings and Entergy New Orleans and Entergy Texas each filed base rate cases.
• In June, Entergy Corporation completed a $1.15 billion common stock offering with a forward component.
• For the third consecutive year, Entergy Corporation was named to The Civic 50, a Points of Light initiative honoring the 50 most community-minded companies in the nation.

Calculations may differ due to rounding

Consolidated Results

For second quarter 2018, the company reported earnings of $245 million, or $1.34 per share, on an as-reported basis and earnings of $327 million, or $1.79 per share, on an operational basis. This compared to second quarter 2017 earnings of $410 million, or $2.27 per share, on an as-reported basis and earnings of $561 million, or $3.11 per share on an operational basis. Second quarter 2017 results included a $373 million, or $2.07 per share income tax item at EWC. 

Summary discussions by business are below. Additional details, including information on OCF by business, are provided in Appendix A and a comprehensive analysis of quarterly and year-to-date variances by business is provided in Appendix B. 

Utility, Parent & Other Results

For second quarter 2018, the Utility business reported earnings attributable to Entergy Corporation of $376 million, or $2.05 per share, compared to $243 million, or $1.35 per share, in second quarter 2017. Drivers for the quarterly increase included higher retail sales volume and lower income taxes, partially offset by higher operating expenses.

The current period results reflected a $278 million reduction in income taxes, with a corresponding reduction in net revenue, for the amortization of unprotected excess ADIT. Approximately $150 million was credited to customer bills and the balance was recorded as a regulatory charge for recovery of certain rate base and related assets. The net effect was neutral to earnings.

Excluding the $278 million unprotected excess ADIT, net revenue increased, driven by higher retail sales volume, including favorable weather in second quarter 2018 compared to unfavorable weather a year ago. Weather-adjusted billed sales declined period over period, but was more than offset by higher volume in the unbilled period. Rate actions to recover investments that benefit customers also contributed to the increase. Current period results also included regulatory provisions recorded to return benefits of the lower federal tax rate to customers at Entergy Louisiana and Entergy New Orleans.

On a weather-adjusted basis, billed sales decreased (1.3) percent, including (3.4) percent and (1.6) percent for residential and commercial sales, respectively. Industrial sales volume was essentially flat driven by continued growth from new and expansion customers as well as small industrials, largely offset by decreased cogeneration sales. 

Excluding the $278 million unprotected excess ADIT, income taxes were lower driven by tax benefits from the settlement of the 2012-2013 IRS audit and the reduction of the federal income tax rate.

Utility non-fuel O&M increased quarter-over-quarter. The primary driver was higher spending on fossil operations. Energy efficiency spending and storm reserves were also higher, but were largely offset in net revenue.

For second quarter 2018, Parent & Other reported a loss of $(73 million), or (40) cents per share, compared to a loss of $(57 million), or (32) cents per share, in second quarter 2017.

On a combined basis, Utility, Parent & Other (non-GAAP) contributed $1.65 to second quarter 2018 consolidated EPS compared to $1.03 in second quarter 2017 consolidated EPS. On an adjusted basis, excluding special items and normalizing weather and income taxes, Utility, Parent & Other contributed $1.23 in second quarter 2018 to consolidated EPS, compared to $1.12 in second quarter 2017.

Appendix C contains additional details on Utility financial and operating measures, including a reconciliation for non-GAAP Utility, Parent & Other adjusted earnings and EPS. 

Entergy Wholesale Commodities Results

For second quarter 2018, EWC recorded a loss attributable to Entergy Corporation of $(57 million), or (31) cents per share, on an as-reported basis and earned $25 million, or 14 cents per share, on an operational basis. This compared to second quarter 2017 earnings of $223 million, or $1.24 per share, on an as-reported basis and earnings of $375 million, or $2.08 per share, on an operational basis. The prior period results included an income tax item which reduced income taxes and increased earnings by $373 million, or $2.07 per share.

As-reported results in both periods reflected impairments and other expenses recorded as a result of strategic decisions for the wholesale business. These items totaled $(82 million), or (45) cents per share, in second quarter 2018, compared to $(151 million), or (84) cents per share, a year ago. These costs were considered special items and excluded from operational earnings.

Quarterly earnings also reflected higher net revenue as a result of higher nuclear energy volume, partially offset by lower nuclear energy pricing.

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

Earnings Guidance

Entergy affirmed its 2018 consolidated operational earnings guidance range of $6.25 to $6.85 per share and its Utility, Parent & Other adjusted guidance range of $4.50 to $4.90 per share.

The company has provided 2018 earnings guidance with regard to the non-GAAP measures of consolidated operational EPS and Utility, Parent & Other adjusted EPS. These measures exclude from the corresponding GAAP financial measures the effect of special items 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 special items that may occur during 2018. The only anticipated special items that the company can reasonably estimate at this time are those that relate to the decisions to sell or close the company’s merchant nuclear plants; these estimated costs, which are excluded from the earnings guidance, are expected to decrease as-reported EPS by approximately $(2.75) per share in 2018.

Earnings Teleconference

A teleconference will be held at 9:00 a.m. Central Time on Wednesday, August 1, 2018, 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 3594779, 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 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 August 8, 2018, by dialing 855-859-2056, conference ID 3594779. This release and the webcast slide presentation are also available on the Entergy Investor Relations mobile web app at iretr.com.

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 nearly 9,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.9 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of approximately $11 billion and more than 13,000 employees.

Entergy Corporation’s common stock is listed on the New York and Chicago stock exchanges 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 and on Entergy’s Investor Relations mobile web app at iretr.com.

Entergy maintains a web page as part of its Investor Relations website, entitled “Regulatory and Other Information,” which provides investors with key updates of 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. Generally, a non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical measure of a company’s performance, financial position, or cash flows that either excludes or includes 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 release of the non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures.

Certain non-GAAP financial measures in this news release could differ from GAAP only in that the figure or ratio states or includes operational earnings. Operational earnings are not calculated in accordance with GAAP because they exclude the effect of “special items.” Special items are unusual or non-recurring items or events or other items or events that management believes do not reflect the ongoing business of Entergy, and may include items such as impairments, gains or losses on asset sales, and other gains or losses occurring as a result of strategic decisions such as Entergy’s decisions to shut down or sell its merchant nuclear plants. In addition, other financial measures including net income (or earnings), adjusted for preferred dividends and tax effected interest expense; net revenue; return on average invested capital; and return on average common equity are included on both an operational and as-reported basis. In each case, the metrics defined as “operational” would exclude the effect of special items as defined above.

Entergy reports the combination of the Utility segment with Parent & Other as Utility, Parent & Other, which is all of Entergy excluding the EWC segment, since management uses this combination in making decisions about its ongoing business in light of its decision to exit the merchant power business. Entergy also reports Utility, Parent & Other adjusted earnings, which combines the Utility segment with Parent & Other, excludes applicable special items and normalizes weather and income tax expense for the periods presented, because it believes that these financial metrics provide useful information to investors in evaluating the ongoing results of Entergy’s businesses and assist investors in comparing Entergy’s financial performance to the financial performance of other companies in the Utility sector. The methodologies employed to determine the normalized weather and income tax expense adjustments, each of which is further described in this release, involve estimations and the judgement of management.

In addition to reporting earnings per share on a consolidated basis, Entergy reports on a per share basis the earnings or loss of each of its segments, together with the combination of the Utility segment and Parent & Other. These per share measures represent the net income or loss of such segment or segments divided by the diluted average number of shares of common stock outstanding for the period. Entergy believes such per share measures provide useful information to investors in understanding the results of operations of those businesses and their contribution to Entergy’s consolidated results of operations.

Other non-GAAP measures, including adjusted EBITDA; operational adjusted EBITDA; gross liquidity; debt to capital ratio, excluding securitization debt; net debt to net capital ratio, excluding securitization debt; parent debt to total debt ratio, excluding securitization debt; operational FFO to debt ratio, excluding securitization debt and operational FFO to debt ratio, excluding securitization debt and return of unprotected excess ADIT are measures Entergy uses internally for management and board discussions and cash budgeting and performance monitoring activities 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.

The non-GAAP financial measures and other reported adjusted items in this release are presented in addition to, and in conjunction with, results presented in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be used to the exclusion of GAAP financial measures. 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. Investors are strongly encouraged to review Entergy’s consolidated financial statements and publicly filed reports in their entirety and to not rely on any single financial measure. 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.

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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 2018 earnings guidance; its current financial and operational outlook; 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) nuclear plant relicensing, operating and regulatory costs and risks, including any changes resulting from the nuclear crisis in Japan following its catastrophic earthquake and tsunami; (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; and (i) the effects of technological changes and changes in commodity markets, capital markets or economic conditions, during the periods covered by the forward-looking statements.