Overview
U.S. utility's Q1 revenue slightly missed analyst expectations, adjusted EPS beat consensus
GAAP EPS fell yr/yr due to higher costs, while adjusted EPS rose
Company affirms 2026 earnings guidance and reports progress on Black Hills merger
Outlook
NorthWestern affirms 2026 non-GAAP EPS guidance of $3.68 to $3.83 per diluted share
Company maintains long-term EPS and rate base growth guidance of 4% to 6%
NorthWestern expects to close merger with Black Hills in second half of 2026
Result Drivers
HIGHER OPERATING COSTS - Increased operating, administrative, and merger-related costs, as well as expenses tied to new Colstrip ownership, weighed on results
NEW RATES AND TRANSMISSION REVENUE - Higher base rates and increased transmission revenues partially offset cost pressures
LOWER RETAIL VOLUMES - Declines in electric and natural gas retail volumes due to unfavorable weather impacted revenue
Company press release: ID:nBw3F6lhxa
Key Details
Metric
Beat/Miss
Actual
Consensus Estimate
Q1 Revenue
Slight Miss*
$497.60 mln
$502.08 mln (3 Analysts)
Q1 Adjusted EPS
Beat
$1.31
$1.25 (7 Analysts)
Q1 EPS
$1.03
Q1 Net Income
$63.50 mln
Q1 Operating Expenses
$383.50 mln
Q1 Operating Income
$114.10 mln
Q1 Pretax Profit
$77.30 mln
*Applies to a deviation of less than 1%; not applicable for per-share numbers.
Analyst Coverage
The current average analyst rating on the shares is "buy" and the breakdown of recommendations is 3 "strong buy" or "buy", 3 "hold" and 1 "sell" or "strong sell"
The average consensus recommendation for the electric utilities peer group is "buy"
Wall Street's median 12-month price target for NorthWestern Energy Group Inc is $70.00, about 1.9% below its April 29 closing price of $71.34
The stock recently traded at 19 times the next 12-month earnings vs. a P/E of 17 three months ago
For questions concerning the data in this report, contact Estimates.Support@lseg.com. For any other questions or feedback, contact reuters.support@thomsonreuters.com.
(This story was created using Reuters automation and AI based on LSEG and company data. It was checked and edited by a Reuters journalist prior to publication.)