Ameren Announces First Quarter 2023 Results

• First Quarter Diluted Earnings Per Share were $1.00 in 2023 vs. $0.97 in 2022
• Guidance Range for 2023 Affirmed at $4.25 to $4.45 per Diluted Share

ST. LOUIS, May 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ameren Corporation (NYSE: AEE) today announced first quarter 2023 net income attributable to common shareholders of $264 million, or $1.00 per diluted share, compared to first quarter 2022 net income attributable to common shareholders of $252 million, or $0.97 per diluted share.

First quarter 2023 results reflected earnings on increased infrastructure investments made across all business segments driven by strong execution of the company's strategy. Earnings were positively impacted by lower Ameren Missouri and Ameren Illinois Natural Gas operations and maintenance expenses, which included the effect of market returns on company-owned life insurance (COLI) investments. Ameren Illinois Electric Distribution earnings increased as a result of a higher allowed return on equity (ROE) due to a higher projected average annual 30-year U.S. Treasury bond yield in 2023. These factors were partially offset by lower Ameren Missouri earnings due to lower electric retail sales, driven primarily by milder-than-normal winter temperatures in the first quarter of 2023 compared to colder-than-normal temperatures in the year-ago period. Finally, earnings reflected increased interest expense at Ameren Missouri and Ameren Parent.

"Execution on all elements of our strategy, including significant investments in infrastructure in each of our business segments, continues to drive value for our customers," said Martin J. Lyons, Jr., president and chief executive officer of Ameren Corporation. "We remain on track to deliver within our 2023 earnings per share guidance range of $4.25 to $4.45."

"We are focused on our long-term sustainability value proposition for the benefit of all stakeholders. This includes delivering safe, reliable, resilient and affordable electric and natural gas services to our customers while driving a growth strategy tied to a responsible clean energy transition," added Lyons.

Earnings Guidance

Today, Ameren affirmed its 2023 earnings guidance range of $4.25 to $4.45 per diluted share. Earnings guidance for 2023 assumes normal temperatures for the last nine months of the year and is subject to the effects of, among other things: 30-year U.S. Treasury bond yields; regulatory, judicial and legislative actions; energy center and energy distribution operations; energy, economic and capital market conditions; severe storms; unusual or otherwise unexpected gains or losses; and other risks and uncertainties outlined, or referred to, in the Forward-looking Statements section of this press release.

Ameren Missouri Segment Results

Ameren Missouri first quarter 2023 earnings were $28 million, compared to first quarter 2022 earnings of $50 million. The year-over-year comparison reflected lower electric retail sales, driven primarily by milder-than-normal winter temperatures in the first quarter of 2023 compared to colder-than-normal temperatures in the year-ago period. The comparison also reflected higher interest expense. These factors were partially offset by earnings on increased infrastructure investments and lower operations and maintenance expenses, which included the effect of market returns on COLI investments.

Ameren Illinois Electric Distribution Segment Results

Ameren Illinois Electric Distribution first quarter 2023 earnings were $61 million, compared to first quarter 2022 earnings of $49 million. The year-over-year improvement reflected earnings on increased infrastructure investments and a higher allowed ROE based on a higher projected average annual 30-year U.S. Treasury bond yield in 2023.

Ameren Transmission Segment Results

Ameren Transmission first quarter 2023 earnings were $71 million, compared to first quarter 2022 earnings of $58 million. The year-over-year improvement reflected earnings on increased infrastructure investments.

Ameren Illinois Natural Gas Segment Results

Ameren Illinois Natural Gas first quarter 2023 earnings were $87 million, compared to first quarter 2022 earnings of $80 million. The year-over-year improvement reflected earnings on increased infrastructure investments and lower operations and maintenance expenses, which included the effect of market returns on COLI investments.

Ameren Parent Results (includes items not reported in a business segment)

Ameren Parent results for the first quarter of 2023 reflected earnings of $17 million, compared to first quarter 2022 earnings of $15 million. The year-over-year improvement reflected lower tax expense. Earnings were negatively impacted by increased interest expense, primarily due to higher short-term debt rates.

Analyst Conference Call

Ameren will conduct a conference call for financial analysts at 9 a.m. Central Time on Friday, May 5, to discuss 2023 earnings, earnings guidance and other matters. Investors, the news media and the public may listen to a live broadcast of the call at AmerenInvestors.com by clicking on "Webcast" under "Ameren Corporation Q1 2023 Earnings," where an accompanying slide presentation will also be available. The conference call and presentation will be archived in the "Investor News & Events" section of the website under "Events and Presentations."

About Ameren

St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation powers the quality of life for 2.4 million electric customers and more than 900,000 natural gas customers in a 64,000-square-mile area through its Ameren Missouri and Ameren Illinois rate-regulated utility subsidiaries. Ameren Illinois provides electric transmission and distribution service and natural gas distribution service. Ameren Missouri provides electric generation, transmission and distribution service, as well as natural gas distribution service. Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois develops, owns and operates rate-regulated regional electric transmission projects in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. For more information, visit Ameren.com, or follow us on Twitter at @AmerenCorp, Facebook.com/AmerenCorp, or LinkedIn/company/Ameren.

Forward-looking Statements 

Statements in this release not based on historical facts are considered "forward-looking" and, accordingly, involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed. Although such forward-looking statements have been made in good faith and are based on reasonable assumptions, there is no assurance that the expected results will be achieved. These statements include (without limitation) statements as to future expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, strategies, targets, estimates, objectives, events, conditions, and financial performance. In connection with the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, we are providing this cautionary statement to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. The following factors, in addition to those discussed under Risk Factors in Ameren's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, and elsewhere in this release and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, could cause actual results to differ materially from management expectations suggested in such forward-looking statements:

• regulatory, judicial, or legislative actions, and any changes in regulatory policies and ratemaking determinations, that may change regulatory recovery mechanisms, such as those that may result from the impact of a final ruling to be issued by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri regarding its September 2019 remedy order for the Rush Island Energy Center, the Missouri Public Service Commission (MoPSC) staff review of the planned Rush Island Energy Center retirement, Ameren Missouri's electric regulatory rate review filed in August 2022 with the MoPSC, Ameren Missouri's proposed customer energy-efficiency plan under the Missouri Energy Efficiency Investment Act (MEEIA) filed with the MoPSC in March 2023, Ameren Illinois' Multi-Year Rate Plan (MYRP) electric distribution service regulatory rate review filed in January 2023 with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC), Ameren Illinois' natural gas regulatory rate review filed in January 2023 with the ICC, Ameren Illinois' electric distribution service revenue requirement reconciliation adjustment request filed with the ICC in April 2023, and the August 2022 United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruling that vacated the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. (MISO), ROE-determining orders and remanded the proceedings to the FERC;
• our ability to control costs and make substantial investments in our businesses, including our ability to recover costs and investments, and to earn our allowed ROEs, within frameworks established by our regulators, while maintaining affordability of our services for our customers;
• the effect of Ameren Illinois' use of the performance-based formula ratemaking framework for its electric distribution service under the Illinois Energy Infrastructure Modernization Act (IEIMA), which established and allows for a reconciliation of electric distribution service rates through 2023, its participation in electric energy-efficiency programs, and the related impact of the direct relationship between Ameren Illinois' ROE and the 30-year United States Treasury bond yields;
• the effect and duration of Ameren Illinois' election to utilize MYRPs for electric distribution service ratemaking effective for rates beginning in 2024, including the effect of the reconciliation cap on the electric distribution revenue requirement;
• the effect on Ameren Missouri of any customer rate caps or limitations on increasing the electric service revenue requirement pursuant to Ameren Missouri's election to use the plant-in-service accounting (PISA);
• Ameren Missouri's ability to construct and/or acquire wind, solar, and other renewable energy generation facilities and battery storage, as well as natural gas-fired combined cycle energy centers, retire fossil fuel-fired energy centers, and implement new or existing customer energy-efficiency programs, including any such construction, acquisition, retirement, or implementation in connection with its Smart Energy Plan, integrated resource plan, or emissions reduction goals, and to recover its cost of investment, a related return, and, in the case of customer energy-efficiency programs, any lost margins in a timely manner, each of which is affected by the ability to obtain all necessary regulatory and project approvals, including certificates of convenience and necessity (CCNs) from the MoPSC or any other required approvals for the addition of renewable resources;
• Ameren Missouri's ability to use or transfer federal production and investment tax credits related to renewable energy projects; the cost of wind, solar, and other renewable generation and storage technologies; and our ability to obtain timely interconnection agreements with the MISO or other regional transmission organizations (RTO) at an acceptable cost for each facility;
• the success of competitive bids related to requests for proposals associated with the MISO's long-range transmission planning;
• the inability of our counterparties to meet their obligations with respect to contracts, credit agreements, and financial instruments, including as they relate to the construction and acquisition of electric and natural gas utility infrastructure and the ability of counterparties to complete projects, which is dependent upon the availability of necessary materials and equipment, including those obligations that are affected by supply chain disruptions;
• advancements in energy technologies, including carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration, hydrogen fuel for electric production and energy storage, next generation nuclear, and large-scale long-cycle battery energy storage, and the impact of federal and state energy and economic policies with respect to those technologies;
• the effects of changes in federal, state, or local laws and other governmental actions, including monetary, fiscal, foreign trade, and energy policies;
• the effects of changes in federal, state, or local tax laws or rates, including the effects of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the 15% minimum tax on adjusted financial statement income, as well as additional regulations, interpretations, amendments, or technical corrections to or in connection with the IRA, and challenges, if any, to the tax positions we have taken as well as resulting effects on customer rates and the recoverability of the minimum tax imposed under the IRA;
• the effects on energy prices and demand for our services resulting from technological advances, including advances in customer energy efficiency, electric vehicles, electrification of various industries, energy storage, and private generation sources, which generate electricity at the site of consumption and are becoming more cost-competitive;
• the cost and availability of fuel, such as low-sulfur coal, natural gas, and enriched uranium used to produce electricity; the cost and availability of natural gas for distribution and purchased power, including capacity, zero emission credits, renewable energy credits, and emission allowances; and the level and volatility of future market prices for such commodities and credits;
• disruptions in the delivery of fuel, failure of our fuel suppliers to provide adequate quantities or quality of fuel, or lack of adequate inventories of fuel, including nuclear fuel assemblies from the one Nuclear Regulatory Commission-licensed supplier of Ameren Missouri's Callaway Energy Center assemblies;
• the cost and availability of transmission capacity for the energy generated by Ameren Missouri's energy centers or required to satisfy Ameren Missouri's energy sales;
• the effectiveness of our risk management strategies and our use of financial and derivative instruments;
• the ability to obtain sufficient insurance, or, in the absence of insurance, the ability to timely recover uninsured losses from our customers;
• the impact of cyberattacks and data security risks on us or our suppliers, which could, among other things, result in the loss of operational control of energy centers and electric and natural gas transmission and distribution systems and/or the loss of data, such as customer, employee, financial, and operating system information;
• acts of sabotage, which have increased in frequency and severity within the utility industry, war, terrorism,or other intentionally disruptive acts;
• business, economic, and capital market conditions, including the impact of such conditions on interest rates, inflation, and investments;
• the impact of inflation or a recession on our customers and the related impact on our results of operations, financial position, and liquidity;
• disruptions of the capital and credit markets, deterioration in our credit metrics, or other events that may have an adverse effect on the cost or availability of capital, including short-term credit and liquidity, and our ability to access the capital and credit markets on reasonable terms when needed;
• the actions of credit rating agencies and the effects of such actions;
• the impact of weather conditions and other natural phenomena on us and our customers, including the impact of system outages and the level of wind and solar resources;
• the construction, installation, performance, and cost recovery of generation, transmission, and distribution assets;
• the ability to maintain system reliability during the transition to clean energy generation by Ameren Missouri and the electric utility industry, including within the MISO, as well as our ability to meet generation capacity obligations;
• the effects of failures of electric generation, electric and natural gas transmission or distribution, or natural gas storage facilities systems and equipment, which could result in unanticipated liabilities or unplanned outages;
• the operation of Ameren Missouri's Callaway Energy Center, including planned and unplanned outages, as well as the ability to recover costs associated with such outages and the impact of such outages on off-system sales and purchased power, among other things;
• Ameren Missouri's ability to recover the remaining investment and decommissioning costs associated with the retirement of an energy center, as well as the ability to earn a return on that remaining investment and those decommissioning costs;
• the impact of current environmental laws and new, more stringent, or changing requirements, including those related to New Source Review, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide and other emissions and discharges, Illinois emission standards, cooling water intake structures, coal combustion residuals, energy efficiency, and wildlife protection, that could limit or terminate the operation of certain of Ameren Missouri's energy centers, increase our operating costs or investment requirements, result in an impairment of our assets, cause us to sell our assets, reduce our customers' demand for electricity or natural gas, or otherwise have a negative financial effect;
• the impact of complying with renewable energy standards in Missouri and Illinois and with the zero emission standard in Illinois;
• the effectiveness of Ameren Missouri's customer energy-efficiency programs and the related revenues and performance incentives earned under its MEEIA programs;
• Ameren Illinois' ability to achieve the performance standards applicable to its electric distribution business and electric customer energy-efficiency goals and the resulting impact on its allowed ROE;
• labor disputes, work force reductions, changes in future wage and employee benefits costs, including those resulting from changes in discount rates, mortality tables, returns on benefit plan assets, and other assumptions;
• the impact of negative opinions of us or our utility services that our customers, investors, legislators, regulators, creditors, or other stakeholders may have or develop, which could result from a variety of factors, including failures in system reliability, failure to implement our investment plans or to protect sensitive customer information, increases in rates, negative media coverage, or concerns about environmental, social, and/or governance practices;
• the impact of adopting new accounting guidance;
• the effects of strategic initiatives, including mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures;
• legal and administrative proceedings;
• pandemics or other health events, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and their impacts on our results of operations, financial position, and liquidity; and
• the impacts of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, related sanctions imposed by the U.S. and other governments, and any broadening of the conflict, including potential impacts on the cost and availability of fuel, natural gas, enriched uranium, and other commodities, materials, and services, the inability of our counterparties to perform their obligations, disruptions in the capital and credit markets, and other impacts on business, economic, and geopolitical conditions, including inflation.

New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of such factors, nor can we assess the impact of each such factor on the business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained or implied in any forward-looking statement. Given these uncertainties, undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements. Except to the extent required by the federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information or future events.

SOURCE Ameren Corporation