Energy utility
TECO Energy Inc.
(
TE
) is slated to release its third-quarter 2012 earnings results
before the market open on November 1, 2012.
Second Quarter Performance
The company reported second-quarter profit of 34 cents per share,
lower than the year-ago earnings of 36 cents per share. The
earnings in the reported quarter were also below the Zacks
Consensus Estimate of 37 cents.
The earnings underperformance was due to weather irregularities
and the current downturn in coal markets, partially offset by
favorable growth in the company's Florida utilities owing to an
increased customer base.
Teco Energy posted total revenue of $788.4 million in the second
quarter of 2012, down 11% from $885.7 million in the year-ago
quarter. This was due to a combined decline in the company's
regulated electric and gas sales as well as in the unregulated
division.
Reported revenue widely missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of
$893 million.
Guidance 2012
Teco Energy lowered its earnings expectation for 2012 to
$1.20-$1.30 per share from the prior forecast of $1.30-$1.40 per
share. This downward revision is due to the negative effect of
mild weather in the month of July.
However, under the new base rate system, the company's natural
gas business wing expects to earn returns near the middle of its
equity range as the new rates make People Gas less exposed to
weather sensitivities.
Teco Coal forecasts depressed sales volume for 2012 and projects
sales to be in the range of 6.0 million tons to 6.3 million tons
with an average selling price of $96 per ton.
The company anticipates cost of production to be in the range of
$83 per ton to $87 per ton.
Zacks Consensus
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the third quarter 2012 is 38
cents per share, down an estimated 10.1% from 42 cents reported
in the year-ago quarter. The current Zacks Consensus Estimate
ranges between 25 cents per share and 44 cents per share.
The full year 2012 Zacks Consensus Estimate is $1.16, down a
projected 8.4% from $1.27 reported in the previous year. The
current Zacks Consensus Estimate ranges between $1.13 per share
and $1.24 per share.
Estimate Revisions Trend
Agreement
The past 30 days have seen 1 of 8 estimates declining for the
third quarter, while none moved in the opposite direction. There
were no changes in the quarterly estimates in the last 7 days.
For full year 2012, of the 6 available estimates, there have been
2 downward revisions in estimates, while none moved in the
opposite direction, in the last 30 days. One estimate moved
downwards in the prior 7 days, while none moved north.
Magnitude
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the third quarter and for the
full year remained unchanged in the last 7 days. However,
estimates for the third quarter as well as for the full year
moved down by 3 cents each, in the last 30 days.
Surprise History
With respect to earnings surprise, the company's performance
failed to measure up to expectations in the trailing three
quarters. The results of the company surpassed our expectation in
just one of the last four quarters.
The earnings surprise in the last four quarters ranged from
(10.71%) to 5.00%. The average surprise over the last four
quarters remained a negative 4.82%.
Our Recommendation
We have recently lowered our long-term recommendation on the
company to Underperform from Neutral. The downgrade was mainly
due to the company's sensitivities to volatile weather patterns,
unstable commodity prices, strict federal regulations related to
underground mining operations and waste management, and unsold
tons of coal at TECO Coal.
TECO Energy currently retains a short-term Zacks #5 Rank (Strong
Sell rating). The company's primary competitors include
NRG Energy Inc.
(
NRG
) and
Wisconsin Energy Corp.
(
WEC
).
Based in Tampa, Florida, TECO Energy is involved in the
generation, purchase, transmission, distribution, and sale of
electricity in Florida. With a market capitalization of $3.81
billion, the company has 4,290 full time employees.
NRG ENERGY INC (NRG): Free Stock Analysis
Report
TECO ENERGY (TE): Free Stock Analysis Report
WISC ENERGY CP (WEC): Free Stock Analysis
Report
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