Entergy Reports 2020 Financial Results, Initiates 2021 Earnings Guidance

NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR) reported fourth quarter 2020 earnings per share of $1.93 on an as-reported basis and 71 cents on an adjusted basis (non-GAAP).  For the full year, the company reported 2020 earnings per share of $6.90 on an as-reported basis and $5.66 on an adjusted basis.

"We are reporting strong results for another very successful year. Our adjusted earnings per share were in the top half of our guidance range as we exceeded our $100 million cost savings target for the year," said Entergy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Leo Denault. "We've built a culture of resiliency, and we couldn't be prouder of our employees who successfully delivered on our commitments in the face of extraordinary challenges. Our strong 2020 results reinforce our confidence in our continued success in the future."

Business highlights included the following:

• Montgomery County Power Station was placed in service on January 1, 2021, ahead of schedule.
• The 20 MW New Orleans Solar Station was placed in service.
• Entergy Louisiana completed the purchase of the Washington Parish Energy Center.
• The NRC approved the license transfer of Indian Point to Holtec.
• Edison Electric Institute awarded five emergency response awards to Entergy.
• Entergy was named to one of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for the 19th consecutive year.
• Entergy raised its dividend for the sixth consecutive year.

Consolidated Results

For fourth quarter 2020, the company reported earnings of $388 million, or $1.93 per share, on an as-reported basis, and earnings of $142 million, or 71 cents per share, on an adjusted basis. This compared to fourth quarter 2019 earnings of $385 million, or $1.92 per share, on an as-reported basis, and earnings of $137 million, or 68 cents per share, on an adjusted basis.

For full year 2020, the company reported earnings of $1,388 million, or $6.90 per share, on an as-reported basis, and earnings of $1,138 million, or $5.66 per share, on an adjusted basis. This compared to 2019 earnings of $1,241 million, or $6.30 per share, on an as-reported basis, and earnings of $1,064 million, or $5.40 per share, on an adjusted basis.

Summary discussions of full year results by business are below. 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.

Full Year Business Segment Results

Utility

For full year 2020, the Utility business reported earnings attributable to Entergy Corporation of $1,800 million, or $8.95 per share, on an as-reported basis, and earnings of $1,424 million, or $7.08 per share, on an adjusted basis. This compared to full year 2019 earnings of $1,411 million, or $7.16 per share, on an as-reported basis, and $1,369 million, or $6.95 per share, on an adjusted basis. Drivers for the full year included:

• net effect of regulatory actions across the operating companies;
• lower other O&M; and
• a lower effective income tax rate, net of customer sharing (some items considered adjustments and excluded from adjusted earnings).

These drivers were partially offset by:

• lower retail sales volume, including the effects of COVID-19, weather, and storms;
• higher depreciation and interest expenses;
• lower AFUDC due to completion of major construction projects; and
• regulatory provisions at E-AR and SERI (the provision at SERI was considered an adjustment and excluded from adjusted earnings).

On a per share basis, full year 2020 results reflected higher common shares outstanding.

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

Parent & Other

For full year 2020, Parent & Other reported a loss attributable to Entergy Corporation of $(347 million), or $(1.73) per share, on an as-reported basis, and a loss of $(286 million), or $(1.42) per share, on an adjusted basis. This compared to a full year 2019 loss of $(316 million), or $(1.60) per share, on an as-reported basis, and a loss of $(305 million), or $(1.55) per share on an adjusted basis. A primary driver for the full year was income tax expense (some items considered adjustments and excluded from adjusted earnings). This was partially offset by the timing of a charitable contribution and interest expense.

On a per share basis, full year 2020 results reflected higher common shares outstanding.

Entergy Wholesale Commodities 

For full year 2020, EWC reported a loss attributable to Entergy Corporation of
$(65 million), or (32) cents per share, on an as-reported basis. This compared to full year 2019 earnings attributable to Entergy Corporation of $147 million, or 74 cents per share, on an as-reported basis. Drivers for the year included:

• lower revenue primarily due to the shutdown of Indian Point 2 and Pilgrim;
• unfavorable income tax items in 2020 as compared to 2019; and
• lower gains on decommissioning trust funds.

These drivers were partially offset by:

• lower asset write-offs, impairments, and related charges as compared to a year ago; and
• lower operating expenses due to the shutdown of Indian Point 2 and Pilgrim.

On a per share basis, full year 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 initiated its 2021 adjusted EPS guidance range of $5.80 to $6.10. See webcast presentation for additional details.

The company has provided 2021 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 $(1.45) in 2021. 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 Wednesday, February 24, 2021, 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 6726389, 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 March 3, 2021, by dialing 855-859-2056, conference ID 6726389.

Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged in electric power production, transmission and retail distribution operations. Entergy delivers electricity to 3 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy owns and operates one of the cleanest large-scale U.S. power generating fleets with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including 8,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, Entergy has annual revenues of $10 billion and 13,400 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 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 ROE, excluding affiliate preferred; adjusted ROIC; 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, other financial measures including net income (or earnings) adjusted for preferred dividends and tax-effected interest expense and FFO 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) 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 2021 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 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) 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 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; (k) the direct and indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Entergy and its customers; and (l) the effects of technological change, including the costs, pace of development and commercialization of new and emerging technologies.

Fourth Quarter 2020 Earnings Release Appendices and Financial Statements

Appendices

A: Consolidated Results and Adjustments
B: Earnings Variance Analysis
C: Utility Financial and Operating Measures
D: EWC Financial and Operating Measures
E: Consolidated Financial Measures
F: Definitions and Abbreviations and Acronyms
G: Other GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliations

Financial Statements

Consolidating Balance Sheets
Consolidating Income Statements
Consolidated Cash Flow Statements

A: Consolidated Results and Adjustments
Appendix A-1 provides a comparative summary of consolidated earnings, including a reconciliation of as-reported earnings (GAAP) to adjusted earnings (non-GAAP).

See Appendix B for detailed earnings variance analysis.

Appendix A-2 provides a comparative summary of OCF, by business.

OCF decreased quarter-over-quarter due primarily to non-capital storm costs, lower collections due to COVID-19, unfavorable weather, and decreased collections for fuel and purchased power cost recovery at the Utility. Higher severance and retention payments and higher nuclear refueling outage spending at EWC also contributed. Lower pension funding partially offset the quarterly decrease.

OCF decreased year-over-year due primarily to non-capital storm costs, decreased collections for fuel and purchased power cost recovery, lower collections due to COVID-19, and unfavorable weather. The decrease was partially offset by a lower amount of unprotected excess ADIT returned to customers, lower severance and retention payments at EWC, lower pension funding, and higher DOE proceeds.

For both the quarter and the full year, intercompany income tax payments contributed to the line of business variances but were immaterial at the consolidated level.

Appendix A-3 and Appendix A-4 list adjustments by business. Adjustments are included in as-reported earnings consistent with GAAP but are excluded from adjusted earnings. As a result, adjusted earnings is considered a non-GAAP measure.

B: Earnings Variance Analysis
Appendix B-1 and Appendix B-2 provide details of current quarter and full year 2020 versus 2019 as-reported and adjusted earnings variance analysis for Utility, Parent & Other, and EWC.

C: Utility Financial and Operating Measures
Appendix C-1 provides comparative summaries of Utility operating and financial measures.

On a weather-adjusted basis for fourth quarter 2020, billed retail sales decreased (2.3) percent, including the impacts from COVID-19 and hurricanes. Residential billed sales increased 3.4 percent and commercial billed sales decreased (4.6) percent. Industrial billed sales volume decreased (4.3) percent reflecting lower sales to existing small and large customers, partially offset by growth from new/expansion customers.

On a weather-adjusted basis for full year 2020, retail billed sales decreased (2.1) percent, including the impacts from COVID-19 and hurricanes. Residential billed sales increased 2.7 percent and commercial billed sales decreased (6.5). Industrial billed sales volume decreased (2.8) percent reflecting lower sales to existing large and small customers, partially offset by growth from new/expansion customers.

D: EWC Financial and Operating Measures
Appendix D-1 provides a comparative summary of EWC adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP).

Appendix D-2 provides a comparative summary of EWC operating and financial measures.

See the appendix in the webcast slide presentation for EWC hedging and price disclosures.

E: Consolidated Financial Measures
Appendix E provides comparative financial measures. Financial measures in this table include those calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP, as well as those that are considered non-GAAP financial measures.

F: Definitions and Abbreviations and Acronyms
Appendix F-1 provides definitions of certain operating measures, as well as GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures.

Appendix F-2 explains abbreviations and acronyms used in the quarterly earnings materials.

G: Other GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliations
Appendix G-1, Appendix G-2, and Appendix G-3 provide reconciliations of various non-GAAP financial measures disclosed in this news release to their most comparable GAAP measure.

 

SOURCE Entergy Corporation