SCANA (SCG) Q3 Earnings Miss Estimates, Revenues Down Y/Y

Energy holding company, SCANA Corporation’s (NYSE:SCG) third-quarter 2016 earnings of 24 cents per share missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.17, down from the year-ago figure of $1.32. The decline can be attributed to higher expenses relating to the abandonment of a new nuclear project.

The company’s quarterly operating revenues decreased to $1,073 million from $1,093 million in the year-ago period.

Segment Performance

South Carolina Electric & Gas Company (SCE&G): Quarterly earnings from this segment, SCANA's principal subsidiary, were 29 cents per share, down from $1.43 in the year-ago quarter. Higher expenses primarily led to this decline.

As of Sep 30, SCE&G was serving about 362,000 natural gas customers, up 2.9% annually and 717,000 electric customers, up 1.3% annually.

PSNC Energy: This segment incurred a loss of 1 cent during the quarter, narrower than a loss of 5 cents in the prior-year quarter. The upside was driven by customer growth and improved gas margin.

SCANA Energy: The segment — comprising SCANA’s Georgia-based retail natural gas marketing business — posted a recorded profit of 1 cent. It incurred a loss of 1 cent in third-quarter 2016. This was attributable to lower bad debt and reduced expenses on account of lower-activity level.

Corporate and Other, Net: This business segment reported a loss of 5 cents per share and remained flat on a year-over-year basis.

Expenses

During the third quarter, the company reported operating expenses of $956 million compared with $745 million in the prior-year quarter.

Guidance

SCANA reaffirmed its 2017 GAAP-adjusted weather-normalized earnings guidance in the range of $4.15-$4.35 per share.

Q3 Price Performances

The pricing chart reveals that the company’s shares have underperformed the industry in the last three months. During this period, the company’s shares have declined 27.6% as against the the industry’s rally of 2.7%.

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

Currently, SCANA carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).

A few top-ranked players in the energy sector include Denbury Resources Inc (NYSE:DNR) , Braskem SA (NYSE:BAK) and Noble Midstream Partners LP (NYSE:NBLX) . All these stocks sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Denbury Resources, based in Plano, TX, is engaged in the exploration, production and development of natural gas properties in the Gulf Coast region. The company delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 25% in the last four quarters.

The largest petrochemical operator in Latin America, Braskem, delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 88.17% in the last four quarters.

Noble Midstream Partners, headquartered in Houston, TX, has diversified energy infrastructure properties. The company delivered positive earnings surprise of 30.67% in the preceding quarter.

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