PR Newswire
BUTTE, Mont. and SIOUX FALLS, S.D., Feb. 12, 2019
BUTTE, Mont. and SIOUX FALLS, S.D., Feb. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- NorthWestern Corporation d/b/a NorthWestern Energy (NYSE: NWE) reported financial results for the year ended December 31, 2018. Net income for the period increased 21 percent to $197.0 million, or $3.92 per diluted share, as compared with net income of $162.7 million, or $3.34 per diluted share, for the same period in 2017. This $34.3 million increase in net income in 2018 is primarily due to a gain related to the adjustment of our electric Qualifying Facilities (QF) liability, increased demand for electric transmission, customer growth, favorable weather in South Dakota, and an income tax benefit associated with the impacts of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. These increases were partly offset by an increase in depreciation expense due to higher capital investment.
Non-GAAP Adjusted diluted earnings per share for the period were $3.39; within the $3.35 - $3.50 guidance range communicated for the year. See "Significant Items Not Contemplated in Prior Period Guidance" and "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" sections below for more information on adjustments.
Additional information regarding this release can be found in the earnings presentation found at www.northwesternenergy.com/our-company/investor-relations/presentations-and-webcasts.
"2018 was a busy year. We had another great year of safety, reliability, and customer satisfaction while delivering on our financial commitment to investors. It was also a year in which we addressed significant matters that required thoughtful consideration from regulators, intervenors, and our employees to ensure the balance between customer and investor interests. We can all look back on 2018 with a sense of accomplishment," said Bob Rowe, President and Chief Executive Officer. "With our first Montana general electric rate review in nearly a decade to be decided in 2019, and our issuance of updated electric supply plans in both South Dakota and Montana, we hope all of our stakeholders are looking forward to this year with a similar collaborative spirit."
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
(in thousands, except per share amounts) | 2018 | | 2017 (2) | ||||
Revenues | $ | 1,192,009 | | | $ | 1,305,652 | |
Cost of sales | 272,883 | | | 410,349 | | ||
Gross Margin (1) | 919,126 | | | 895,303 | | ||
| | | | ||||
Operating, general and administrative expense | 307,119 | | | 294,803 | | ||
Property and other taxes | 171,259 | | | 162,614 | | ||
Depreciation and depletion | 174,476 | | | 166,137 | | ||
Total Operating Expenses | 652,854 | | | 623,554 | | ||
Operating income | 266,272 | | | 271,749 | | ||
Interest expense, net | (91,988) | | | (92,263) | | ||
Other income (expense), net | 3,966 | | | (3,415) | | ||
Income before income taxes | 178,250 | | | 176,071 | | ||
Income tax benefit (expense) | 18,710 | | | (13,368) | | ||
Net Income | 196,960 | | | 162,703 | | ||
Basic Shares Outstanding | 49,985 | | | 48,558 | | ||
Earnings per Share - Basic | $ | 3.94 | | | $ | 3.35 | |
Diluted Shares Outstanding | 50,237 | | | 48,655 | | ||
Earnings per Share - Diluted | $ | 3.92 | | | $ | 3.34 | |
| | | | ||||
Dividends Declared per Common Share | $ | 2.20 | | | $ | 2.10 | |
| |||||||
(1) Gross Margin, defined as Revenues less Cost of Sales, is a non-GAAP financial measure. | |||||||
See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" section below for more information. | |||||||
| |||||||
(2) We adopted ASU 2017-07 on January 1, 2018. As a result, we recorded the non-service cost component of net periodic benefit cost within other income (expense), net. This standard requires retrospective adoption, which resulted in a $10.3 million reclassification from operating, general and administrative expense to other income (expense), net for the twelve month period ended December 31, 2017, to conform to current period presentation. |
Significant Regulatory Updates
Montana General Electric Review
In September 2018, we filed an electric rate review with the Montana Public Service Commission (MPSC) requesting an annual increase to electric rates of approximately $34.9 million, which represents an approximate 6.6% increase in annual base revenues. Our request is based on a return on equity of 10.65% and an overall rate of return of 7.42% (except for Colstrip Unit 4 which the MPSC previously set for the life of the facility at a 10% return on equity and an 8.25% rate of return), based on approximately $2.35 billion of electric rate base and a capital structure of 51 percent debt and 49 percent equity.
We also requested that approximately $13.8 million of the rate increase be approved on an interim basis effective November 1, 2018. We expect to receive a decision on our interim request after intervenor testimony is filed. If the MPSC does not issue a final order within nine months of the filing, the new requested rates may be placed into effect on an interim and refundable basis.
Key dates in the procedural schedule are expected to be as follows:
We expect to file a FERC rate case for our Montana transmission assets by the end of the first quarter of 2019. The revenue requirement associated with our Montana FERC assets is reflected in our MPSC jurisdictional rates as a credit to customers.
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
In December 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law, which enacts significant changes to U.S. tax and related laws. The primary impact to us is a reduction of the federal corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21% effective January 1, 2018. Dockets were opened in each of our jurisdictions to investigate the customer benefit of this reduction in the federal corporate income tax rate. During 2018, we received approval of settlement agreements regarding the customer benefit of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, as described below.
Our 2018 results include a net benefit related to the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which includes:
In addition, we reflected the costs of our hazard tree program in the consolidated income statement as we agreed in our Montana settlement to request recovery of these costs in base customer rates in our 2018 filing, as discussed above, rather than using a portion of the reduction in customer rates associated with the change in tax rate as proposed in our Montana Tax Cuts and Jobs Act filing.
We expect a consolidated reduction in our cash flows from operations ranging from $20 million to $22 million in 2019, as a result of the customer credits discussed above while we are not a cash taxpayer. We currently estimate that our effective income tax rate will range from 0% to 5% in 2019.
Cost Recovery Mechanisms
Effective July 1, 2017 the Montana legislature granted the MPSC discretion whether to approve an electric supply tracking mechanism. After considering our application in a contested case proceeding, the MPSC issued a final order in January 2019 approving a Power Cost and Credit Adjustment Mechanism (PCCAM) with the following provisions:
Our 2018 results include a net reduction in the recovery of supply costs from customers of approximately $1.5 million in the Consolidated Statements of Income, which includes the following:
Significant Earnings Drivers
Gross Margin
Consolidated gross margin for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 was $919.1 million compared with $895.4 million for the same period in 2017. This $23.7 million increase was a result of a $30.0 million increase to items that have an impact on net income and $6.3 million decrease to items that are offset in operating expenses, property tax expense and income tax expense with no impact to net income.
Consolidated gross margin for items impacting net income increased $30.0 million, including:
These increases were partly offset by a $6.1 million reduction in revenue due to the impacts of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act jurisdictional settlements and a $1.5 million reduction in recovery of Montana electric supply costs (PCCAM), as discussed in the Cost Recovery Mechanisms section above.
The change in consolidated gross margin for items that had no impact on net income represented a $6.3 million decrease primarily due to the following:
Operating, General and Administrative Expenses
Consolidated operating, general and administrative expenses for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 were $307.1 million compared with $294.8 million for the same period in 2017. This $12.3 million increase was a result of a $2.1 million increase to items that have an impact on net income and $10.2 million increase to items that are offset in gross margin and other income (expense) with no impact to net income.
Consolidated operating, general and administrative expenses for items impacting net income increased $2.1 million, including:
These increases were partly offset by the following:
The change in consolidated operating, general and administrative expenses for items that had no impact on net income increased $10.2 million primarily due to the following:
Property and Other Taxes
Property and other taxes were $171.3 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018, as compared with $162.6 million in the same period of 2017. This increase was primarily due to plant additions and higher estimated property valuations in Montana. Under Montana law, we are allowed to track the changes in the actual level of state and local taxes and fees and recover 74% of the increase in taxes and fees, which is net of the associated income tax benefit.
Depreciation and Depletion Expense
Depreciation and depletion expense was $174.5 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018, as compared with $166.1 million in the same period of 2017. This increase was primarily due to plant additions.
Operating Income
Consolidated operating income for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 was $266.3 million as compared with $271.7 million in the same period of 2017. This decrease was primarily due to the overall increase in operating expenses offset in part by higher gross margin, as discussed above.
Interest Expense
Consolidated interest expense for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 was $92.0 million, as compared with $92.3 million in the same period of 2017.
Other Income and Expense
Consolidated other income was $4.0 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 as compared to consolidated other expense of $3.4 million during the same period of 2017. This $7.4 million improvement includes a $10.3 million decrease in other pension expense (which is offset in operating, general, and administrative expenses), partly offset by lower capitalization of AFUDC (allowance for funds used during construction).
Hinweis: ARIVA.DE veröffentlicht in dieser Rubrik Analysen, Kolumnen und Nachrichten aus verschiedenen Quellen. Die ARIVA.DE AG ist nicht verantwortlich für Inhalte, die erkennbar von Dritten in den „News“-Bereich dieser Webseite eingestellt worden sind, und macht sich diese nicht zu Eigen. Diese Inhalte sind insbesondere durch eine entsprechende „von“-Kennzeichnung unterhalb der Artikelüberschrift und/oder durch den Link „Um den vollständigen Artikel zu lesen, klicken Sie bitte hier.“ erkennbar; verantwortlich für diese Inhalte ist allein der genannte Dritte.