Essential Utilities Reports Financial Results for Q3 2020
Earns
Refines 2020 annual adjusted earnings guidance to the top end of the
Signs agreement with
Publishes Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report
Company Highlights
“Our commitment to providing safe, reliable, affordable resources during these uncertain times has never been more important for our customers and the communities we serve,” said Essential Chairman and CEO
“We are pleased to have published our 2019 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report, highlighting our commitment to environmental stewardship, sustainable business practices, employee safety, diversity and inclusion, customer experience and community engagement. We look to bring the same ESG focus to the natural gas business as we expect to announce a companywide emissions reduction target in the next six months. We are also pleased that, due to the combined efforts across our 10-state footprint, we are able to refine our annual adjusted earnings per share guidance to the top end of the
Operating Results
Essential reported net income of
Revenues for the quarter were
The regulated water segment reported revenues for the quarter of
The regulated natural gas segment reported revenues for the third quarter of 2020 of
For the first nine months of 2020, the company reported revenues of
As of
Dividend
On
Financing
In August, Essential announced an offering of 6.7 million shares of common stock via a forward equity sale agreement. The company will not receive any proceeds from the sale of our common stock by the forward purchaser until settlement of all or a portion of the agreement. If assuming full settlement today, the company would receive approximately
Water utility acquisition growth
Essential’s continued acquisition growth allows the company to provide safe and reliable water and wastewater service to an even larger customer base. On
The company has signed purchase agreements for other municipal water and wastewater acquisitions that are expected to add the equivalent of over 212,000 water and wastewater retail customers and approximately
“We remain focused on advancing the DELCORA acquisition, while continuing to partner with municipalities, like
Capital expenditures
Essential invested
Rate activity
To date in 2020, the regulated water segment has received rate awards or infrastructure surcharges in
Essential refines 2020 guidance
The company continues to monitor the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on its customers, employees and the business and will update guidance impacts from the pandemic in the future if needed. At this time, the company’s updated 2020 full-year guidance is:
-
Expects adjusted income per diluted common share (non-GAAP) at the top end of the
$1.53 to$1.58 range - Earnings growth CAGR of 5 to 7 percent for 2019 through 2022
-
Regulated water segment infrastructure investments of approximately
$550 million in 2020 -
Regulated natural gas segment infrastructure investments of approximately
$400 million in 2020 on full-year basis (adjusted to include capital invested in 2020 prior to Essential’s ownership) -
Infrastructure investments of approximately
$2.8 billion through 2022 in existing operations to rehabilitate and strengthen water, wastewater, and natural gas systems (including regulated natural gas segment capital invested in 2020 prior to Essential’s ownership) - Regulated water segment rate base compound annual growth rate of 6 to 7 percent through 2022
- Regulated natural gas segment rate base compound annual growth rate of 8 to 10 percent through 2022
- Total annual regulated water segment customer growth of between 2 and 3 percent on average depending upon regulatory approval
- Gas customer count expected to be relatively stable for 2020
Please refer to the reconciliation of GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures later in this press release for additional information on Essential’s use of non-GAAP financial measures as a supplement to its GAAP results.
Earnings Call Information
Date:
Time:
Webcast and slide presentation link: https://www.essential.co/events-and-presentations/events-calendar
Confirmation code: 8195013
The company’s conference call with financial analysts will take place
About Essential
Essential is one of the largest publicly traded water, wastewater and natural gas providers in the
Forward-looking statements
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, among others: the guidance range of adjusted income per diluted common share for the fiscal year ending in 2020; the 3-year earnings growth from 2019 to 2022; the projected total regulated water segment customer growth for 2020; the anticipated amount of capital investment in 2020; the anticipated amount of capital investment from 2020 through 2022; and the company’s anticipated rate base growth from 2020 through 2022. There are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements including: disruptions in the global economy; financial and workforce impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic; the continuation of the company's growth-through-acquisition program; the company’s continued ability to adapt itself for the future and build value by fully optimizing company assets; general economic business conditions; the company’s ability to fund needed infrastructure; housing and customer growth trends; unfavorable weather conditions; the success of certain cost-containment initiatives; changes in regulations or regulatory treatment; availability and access to capital; the cost of capital; disruptions in the credit markets; the success of growth initiatives; the company’s ability to successfully close municipally owned systems presently under agreement; the company’s ability to continue to deliver strong results; the company’s ability to continue to pay its dividend, add shareholder value and grow earnings; municipalities’ willingness to privatize their water and/or wastewater utilities; the company’s ability to control expenses and create and maintain efficiencies; the company’s ability to acquire municipally owned water and wastewater systems listed in its “pipeline”; and other factors discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, which are filed with the
WTRGF
Selected Operating Data | ||||||||||||||
(In thousands, except per share amounts) | ||||||||||||||
(Unaudited) | ||||||||||||||
Quarter Ended |
|
|
|
Nine Months Ended |
||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
2020 |
|
2019 |
|
|
|
2020 |
|
2019 |
||||||
Operating revenues |
$ |
348,647 |
$ |
243,626 |
$ |
988,700 |
$ |
663,650 |
||||||
Operations and maintenance expense |
$ |
136,174 |
$ |
82,022 |
$ |
371,415 |
$ |
247,781 |
||||||
Net income |
$ |
55,732 |
$ |
88,489 |
$ |
182,142 |
$ |
160,316 |
||||||
Basic net income per common share |
$ |
0.22 |
$ |
0.38 |
$ |
0.73 |
$ |
0.76 |
||||||
Diluted net income per common share |
$ |
0.22 |
$ |
0.38 |
$ |
0.71 |
$ |
0.76 |
||||||
Basic average common shares outstanding |
|
254,280 |
|
232,053 |
|
248,212 |
|
209,971 |
||||||
Diluted average common shares outstanding |
|
255,162 |
|
232,464 |
|
255,139 |
|
210,335 |
Consolidated Statement of Income | ||||||||||||||||||
(In thousands, except per share amounts) | ||||||||||||||||||
(Unaudited) | ||||||||||||||||||
Quarter Ended |
|
Nine Months Ended |
||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||
2020 |
2019 |
|
2020 |
2019 |
||||||||||||||
Operating revenues |
$ |
348,647 |
|
$ |
243,626 |
|
$ |
988,700 |
|
$ |
663,650 |
|
||||||
Cost & expenses: | ||||||||||||||||||
Operations and maintenance |
|
136,174 |
|
|
82,022 |
|
|
371,415 |
|
|
247,781 |
|
||||||
Purchased gas |
|
16,744 |
|
|
- |
|
|
72,934 |
|
|
- |
|
||||||
Depreciation |
|
68,175 |
|
|
39,489 |
|
|
181,666 |
|
|
118,113 |
|
||||||
Amortization |
|
1,766 |
|
|
444 |
|
|
4,412 |
|
|
(2,140 |
) |
||||||
Taxes other than income taxes |
|
20,555 |
|
|
15,201 |
|
|
56,424 |
|
|
45,038 |
|
||||||
Total |
|
243,414 |
|
|
137,156 |
|
|
686,851 |
|
|
408,792 |
|
||||||
Operating income |
|
105,233 |
|
|
106,470 |
|
|
301,849 |
|
|
254,858 |
|
||||||
Other expense (income): | ||||||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
|
49,861 |
|
|
32,643 |
|
|
136,650 |
|
|
92,239 |
|
||||||
Interest income |
|
(114 |
) |
|
(9,680 |
) |
|
(5,346 |
) |
|
(18,117 |
) |
||||||
Allowance for funds used during construction |
|
(3,543 |
) |
|
(4,613 |
) |
|
(8,721 |
) |
|
(12,280 |
) |
||||||
Change in fair value of interest rate swap agreements |
|
- |
|
|
- |
|
|
- |
|
|
23,742 |
|
||||||
Loss on debt extinguishment |
|
- |
|
|
- |
|
|
- |
|
|
18,920 |
|
||||||
Gain on sale of other assets |
|
(233 |
) |
|
(175 |
) |
|
(358 |
) |
|
(443 |
) |
||||||
Equity loss (earnings) in joint venture |
|
3,626 |
|
|
(135 |
) |
|
3,283 |
|
|
(1,918 |
) |
||||||
Other |
|
(4,127 |
) |
|
1,494 |
|
|
(3,170 |
) |
|
4,293 |
|
||||||
Income before income taxes |
|
59,763 |
|
|
86,936 |
|
|
179,511 |
|
|
148,422 |
|
||||||
Provision for income taxes (benefit) |
|
4,031 |
|
|
(1,553 |
) |
|
(2,631 |
) |
|
(11,894 |
) |
||||||
Net income |
$ |
55,732 |
|
$ |
88,489 |
|
$ |
182,142 |
|
$ |
160,316 |
|
||||||
Net income per common share: | ||||||||||||||||||
Basic |
$ |
0.22 |
|
$ |
0.38 |
|
$ |
0.73 |
|
$ |
0.76 |
|
||||||
Diluted |
$ |
0.22 |
|
$ |
0.38 |
|
$ |
0.71 |
|
$ |
0.76 |
|
||||||
Average common shares outstanding: | ||||||||||||||||||
Basic |
|
254,280 |
|
|
232,053 |
|
|
248,212 |
|
|
209,971 |
|
||||||
Diluted |
|
255,162 |
|
|
232,464 |
|
|
255,139 |
|
|
210,335 |
|
Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)
The Company is providing disclosure of the reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures. The Company believes that the non-GAAP financial measures "adjusted operating revenues," "adjusted income," and "adjusted income per common share" provide investors the ability to measure the Company’s financial operating performance by adjustment, which is more indicative of the Company’s ongoing performance and is more comparable to measures reported by other companies. The Company further believes that the presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is useful to investors as a more meaningful way to compare the Company’s operating performance against its historical financial results.
This reconciliation includes a presentation of the non-GAAP financial measures "adjusted operating revenues," “adjusted income,” and “adjusted income per common share” and have been adjusted for the following items:
(1) Transaction-related water rate credits issued to
(2) Transaction-related expenses for the Company's Peoples acquisition that closed on
(3) In order to illustrate the full-year 2020 effects of the Peoples acquisition as if this transaction closed on
(4) Pre-acquisition interest expense of
(5) On
(6) Interest income earned on the proceeds received from our
(7) The income tax impact of the non-GAAP adjustments described above; and
(8) The effect on average diluted shares outstanding of the shares issued in
These financial measures are measures of the Company’s operating performance that do not comply with
The following reconciles our GAAP results to the non-GAAP information we disclose :
Quarter Ended |
|
Nine Months Ended |
||||||||||||||
|
|
|
||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
2020 |
|
2019 |
|
2020 |
|
2019 |
||||||||||
Operating revenues (GAAP financial measure) |
$ |
348,647 |
|
$ |
243,626 |
|
$ |
988,700 |
|
$ |
663,650 |
|
||||
(1) Transaction-related water rate credits issued to utility customers |
|
4,080 |
|
|
- |
|
|
4,080 |
|
|
- |
|
||||
Adjusted operating revenues (Non-GAAP financial measure) |
$ |
352,727 |
|
$ |
243,626 |
|
$ |
992,780 |
|
$ |
663,650 |
|
||||
Net income (GAAP financial measure) |
$ |
55,732 |
|
$ |
88,489 |
|
$ |
182,142 |
|
$ |
160,316 |
|
||||
(1) Transaction-related water rate credits issued to utility customers |
|
4,080 |
|
|
- |
|
|
4,080 |
|
|
- |
|
||||
(2) Transaction-related expenses for the Peoples transaction closed |
|
- |
|
|
3,367 |
|
|
25,573 |
|
|
65,453 |
|
||||
(3) Adjustments to provide full-year 2020 run rate of Peoples operating results, including additional net interest expense |
|
- |
|
|
- |
|
|
108,132 |
|
|
- |
|
||||
(4) Pre-acquisition interest expense for funds borrowed for acquisition of Peoples, net |
|
- |
|
|
2,000 |
|
|
- |
|
|
3,318 |
|
||||
(5) Overlapping interest expense on refinanced debt |
|
- |
|
|
- |
|
|
- |
|
|
452 |
|
||||
(6) Interest income earned on proceeds from |
|
- |
|
|
(9,071 |
) |
|
- |
|
|
(16,479 |
) |
||||
(7) Income tax effect of non-GAAP adjustments |
|
(1,179 |
) |
|
810 |
|
|
(32,982 |
) |
|
(10,926 |
) |
||||
Adjusted income (Non-GAAP financial measure) |
$ |
58,633 |
|
$ |
85,595 |
|
$ |
286,945 |
|
$ |
202,134 |
|
||||
Net income per common share (GAAP financial measure): | ||||||||||||||||
Basic |
$ |
0.22 |
|
$ |
0.38 |
|
$ |
0.73 |
|
$ |
0.76 |
|
||||
Diluted |
$ |
0.22 |
|
$ |
0.38 |
|
$ |
0.71 |
|
$ |
0.76 |
|
||||
Adjusted income per common share (Non-GAAP financial measure): | ||||||||||||||||
Diluted |
$ |
0.23 |
|
$ |
0.48 |
|
$ |
1.12 |
|
$ |
1.13 |
|
||||
Average common shares outstanding: | ||||||||||||||||
Basic |
|
254,280 |
|
|
232,053 |
|
|
248,212 |
|
|
209,971 |
|
||||
Diluted |
|
255,162 |
|
|
232,464 |
|
|
255,139 |
|
|
210,335 |
|
||||
Average common shares outstanding: | ||||||||||||||||
Shares used in calculating diluted net income per common share |
|
255,162 |
|
|
232,464 |
|
|
255,139 |
|
|
210,335 |
|
||||
(8) Less: Adjustment for effects of |
|
- |
|
|
(37,370 |
) |
|
- |
|
|
(22,039 |
) |
||||
(8) Less: Adjustment for effects of |
|
- |
|
|
(16,270 |
) |
|
- |
|
|
(9,595 |
) |
||||
Shares used in calculating adjusted diluted income per common share (Non-GAAP financial measure) |
|
255,162 |
|
|
178,824 |
|
|
255,139 |
|
|
178,701 |
|
Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measure
(Unaudited)
The Company is providing disclosure of the reconciliation of the Company's outlook of the non-GAAP financial measure "adjusted diluted income per common share" to the most comparable GAAP financial measure "diluted net income per common share." The diluted income per share guidance for 2020 reflects the completion of the Peoples acquisition
This reconciliation includes a presentation of the non-GAAP financial measure “adjusted diluted income per common share” for Essential's 2020 full-year guidance and has been adjusted for the following items:
(1) Excludes transaction-related expenses of
(2) Excludes the impact of Peoples transaction-related rate credits of
(3) In order to illustrate the full-year 2020 effects of the Peoples acquisition as if this transaction closed on
(4) Excludes the income tax impact of
This financial measure is a measure of the Company’s operating performance that does not comply with
The following reconciles Essential's 2020 full-year guidance GAAP outlook to the non-GAAP information that we have provided:
Diluted net income per common share for Essential's full year 2020 guidance (GAAP financial measure) |
|
|
Adjustments on a per share basis: |
|
|
(1) Transaction-related expenses for Peoples transaction completed in |
|
|
(2) Peoples transaction-related commitment to grant rate credits to utility customers |
|
|
(3) Adjustment to provide full-year run rate of Peoples operating results, including additional net interest expense |
|
|
(4) Income tax effect of non-GAAP adjustments |
( |
|
Adjusted diluted income per common share for Essential's full year 2020 guidance (Non-GAAP financial measure) |
|
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets | ||||||
(In thousands of dollars) | ||||||
(Unaudited) | ||||||
|
|
|
||||
2020 |
|
2019 |
||||
Net property, plant and equipment |
$ |
9,260,460 |
$ |
6,345,790 |
||
Current assets |
|
311,238 |
|
2,015,127 |
||
Regulatory assets and other assets |
|
3,827,790 |
|
1,001,068 |
||
Total assets |
$ |
13,399,488 |
$ |
9,361,985 |
||
Total equity |
$ |
4,635,753 |
$ |
3,880,860 |
||
Long-term debt, excluding current portion, net of debt issuance costs |
|
5,152,973 |
|
2,943,327 |
||
Current portion of long-term debt and loans payable |
|
253,026 |
|
130,775 |
||
Other current liabilities |
|
413,933 |
|
192,686 |
||
Deferred credits and other liabilities |
|
2,943,803 |
|
2,214,337 |
||
Total liabilities and equity |
$ |
13,399,488 |
$ |
9,361,985 |
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201103005753/en/
Investor Relations
O: 610.645.1191
BJDingerdissen@Essential.co
Communications and Marketing
484.368.4816
Media@essential.co
Source: