A month has gone by since the last earnings report for Oneok Inc. (OKE). Shares have added about 17.1% in that time frame, outperforming the S&P 500.
Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Oneok due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at its most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers.
ONEOK Misses on Third-Quarter Earnings, Raises 2024 Guidance
ONEOK Inc. reported third-quarter 2024 operating earnings per share (EPS) of $1.18, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.23 by 4.1%. However, the bottom line improved 19.2% from the year-ago figure of 99 cents.
Total Revenues
Operating revenues totaled $5.02 billion, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.81 billion by 13.5%. However, the top line improved 19.8% from $4.19 billion in the prior-year quarter.
Highlights of the Release
Adjusted EBITDA came in at $1.55 billion, up 52.2% year over year.
Operating income totaled $1.13 billion, up 52.7% from the prior-year level of $0.74 billion.
ONEOK incurred interest expenses of $325 million, up 51.2% from $215 million recorded in the year-ago period.
Total natural gas processed was 3,236 billion British thermal units per day (BBtu/d), up 4.9% year over year.
The company reported natural gas transportation capacity contracted of 8,231 million British thermal units per hour per day (MDth/d), which increased 6.8% year over year.
Financial Highlights
As of Sept. 30, 2024, cash and cash equivalents amounted to $579 million compared with $338 million as of Dec. 31, 2023.
As of Sept. 30, 2024, long-term debt (excluding current maturities) totaled $26.9 billion compared with $21.2 billion as of Dec. 31, 2023.
Cash provided by operating activities for the first nine months of 2024 amounted to $3.28 billion compared with $2.91 billion in the corresponding period of 2023.
2024 Guidance
ONEOK has raised its projection for consolidated 2024 net income to the band of $2.895-$3.095 billion from the previous guidance of $2.73-$3.03 billion. The company has also raised its expectation for adjusted EBITDA to the band of $6.53-$ 6.73 billion from the previously guided range of $6.03-$ 6.33 billion.
Interest expense, net of capitalized interest, is now expected to be in the range of $1.205-$1.185 billion from the previous guidance of $1.195-$1.165 billion.
How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?
In the past month, investors have witnessed a downward trend in estimates review.
VGM Scores
At this time, Oneok has an average Growth Score of C, though it is lagging a bit on the Momentum Score front with a D. Following the exact same course, the stock was allocated a grade of D on the value side, putting it in the bottom 40% for this investment strategy.
Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of D. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.
Outlook
Estimates have been broadly trending downward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions looks promising. Notably, Oneok has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We expect an in-line return from the stock in the next few months.
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