Consolidated Edison (ED) Q1 Earnings Beat, Revenues Up Y/Y

Consolidated Edison Inc. (NYSE:ED) reported first-quarter 2019 adjusted earnings of $1.38 per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.35 by 2.2%.

Barring one-time adjustments, the company posted GAAP earnings of $1.31 per share, reflecting a 4.4% decline year over year. This downside was primarily on account of higher operating expenses.

Total Revenues

In the reported quarter, the company’s total revenues of $3,514 million outshined the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3,393 million by 3.6%. Moreover, the top line increased 4.5% from $3,364 million in the year-ago quarter.

Electric revenues totaled $1,941 million in the firstquarter, up 3.4% from the prior-year figure of $1,877 million. Gas revenues rose 10.1% to $1,034 million. Also, steam revenues increased 2.2% to $321 million. Meanwhile, non-utility revenues amounted to $218 million, down 6.8% from $234 million registered in the year-earlier quarter.

Operating Statistics

Total operating expenses in the firstquarter rose 4.6% year over year to $2,728 million.

Purchase power, gas purchased for resale, depreciation, and amortization as well as taxes and other than income taxes increased 4.2%, 16.9%, 18.7% and 6.1%, respectively, from the prior-year quarter numbers. However, fuel expenses as well as other operations and maintenance declined 14.5% and 5% year over year, respectively.

Financials

Cash and temporary cash investments as of Mar 31, 2019, summed $406 million compared with $895 million as of Dec 31, 2018.

Long-term debt was $16,933 million as of Mar 31, 2019, compared with $17,495 million at 2018 end.

At the end of the first quarter, cash from operating activities amounted to $395 million compared with $56 million a year ago.

2019 Guidance

For 2019, the company continues to expect adjusted earnings per share to be in the $4.25-$4.45 range. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for full-year earnings, pegged at $4.36, lies just abovethe midpoint of the company’s guided range.

Zacks Rank

Consolidated Edison carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Recent Utility Releases

FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE:FE) delivered first-quarter 2019 operating earnings of 67 cents per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 66 cents by 1.52%.

NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) reported first-quarter 2019 adjusted earnings of $2.20 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.01 by 9.4%.

DTE Energy Co. (NYSE:DTE) reported first-quarter 2019 operating earnings per share (EPS) of $2.05, which exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.95 by 5.1%.

Today's Best Stocks from Zacks

Would you like to see the updated picks from our best market-beating strategies? From 2017 through 2018, while the S&P 500 gained +15.8%, five of our screens returned +38.0%, +61.3%, +61.6%, +68.1%, and +98.3%.

This outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. From 2000 – 2018, while the S&P averaged +4.8% per year, our top strategies averaged up to +56.2% per year.

See their latest picks free >>