Dominion Energy Announces First-Quarter Earnings

- First-quarter 2019 GAAP reported net loss of $0.86 per share primarily attributable to charges related to SCANA merger commitments
- First-quarter 2019 operating earnings of $1.10 per share
- Company affirms 2019 operating earnings guidance of $4.05 to $4.40 per share

RICHMOND, Va., May 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominion Energy (NYSE: D) today announced an unaudited net loss determined in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (reported earnings) for the three months ended March 31, 2019 of  $680 million ($0.86 per share) compared with net income of $503 million ($0.77 per share) for the same period in 2018. 

Operating earnings for the three months ended March 31, 2019, were $873 million ($1.10 per share), compared with operating earnings of $741 million ($1.14 per share) for the same period in 2018.  The difference between GAAP and operating earnings was primarily attributable to charges related to the SCANA merger commitments and the early retirement of certain cold-reserve Virginia utility generating units.

Operating earnings are defined as reported earnings adjusted for certain items.  Details of operating earnings as compared to prior periods, business segment results and detailed descriptions of items included in reported earnings but excluded from operating earnings can be found on schedules 1, 2, 3 and 4 of this release. 

Thomas F. Farrell, II, chairman, president and chief executive officer, said:

"Otherwise strong performance across our businesses was impacted by unusually mild weather in Virginia and South Carolina during the first quarter which reduced utility earnings by about six cents per share.  Adjusted for normal weather, our quarterly results were above the midpoint of our quarterly guidance range.

"Utility fundamentals across our premier electric and gas operations continue to be strong in terms of sales volume and customer growth.

"In recent weeks we celebrated the one year commercial in-service anniversary of the Cove Point Liquefaction facility as well as the agreement in Connecticut that will allow our Millstone power station to continue to deliver critical, zero-carbon energy for many years to come.

"We are also taking important steps to realize our goal of having 3,000 megawatts of solar or wind generation in operation or under development in the state of Virginia by 2022.  We recently announced a 350 megawatt solar agreement with Facebook, we received approval from the Virginia State Corporation Commission for our 240 megawatt US-3 cost-of-service solar projects, and in coming weeks we will begin construction on the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project.

"Finally, we are affirming our annual operating earnings guidance range of $4.05 to $4.40 per share for 2019."

Second-quarter operating earnings guidance

Dominion Energy expects second quarter operating earnings in the range of $0.70 to $0.80 per share, compared to second-quarter 2018 operating earnings of $0.86 per share.  Positive drivers include growth from regulated investment across electric and gas utility programs as well as the contribution from the Southeast Energy Group. The company expects negative drivers for the quarter to include Millstone refueling outage timing, the impact of 2018 asset sales, share issuances, and a return to normal weather.

Conference call today

The company will host its first-quarter earnings conference call at 10 a.m. ET on Friday, May 3, 2019.  Management will discuss first-quarter financial results and other matters of interest to the financial community. 

Domestic callers should dial (877) 410-5657.   International callers should dial (334) 323-9872.  The passcode for the conference call is "Dominion."  Participants should dial in 10 to 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. 

A live webcast of the conference call, including accompanying slides and other financial information, will be available on the investor information pages at https://investors.dominionenergy.com.

A replay of the conference call will be available beginning about 2 p.m. ET May 3 and lasting until 11 p.m. ET May 12.  Domestic callers may access the recording by dialing (877) 919-4059.  International callers should dial (334) 323-0140.  The PIN for the replay is 75463500.  Additionally, a replay of the webcast will be available on the investor information pages by the end of the day May 3.

Important note to investors regarding operating and reported earnings

Dominion Energy uses operating earnings as the primary performance measurement of its earnings guidance and results for public communications with analysts and investors.  Dominion Energy also uses operating earnings internally for budgeting, for reporting to the Board of Directors, for the company's incentive compensation plans and for its targeted dividend payouts and other purposes. Dominion Energy management believes operating earnings provide a more meaningful representation of the company's fundamental earnings power.

In providing its operating earnings guidance, the company notes that there could be differences between expected reported earnings and estimated operating earnings for matters such as, but not limited to, acquisitions, divestitures or changes in accounting principles.  At this time, Dominion Energy management is not able to estimate the aggregate impact of these items on future period reported earnings.
 

About Dominion Energy

Nearly 7.5 million customers in 18 states energize their homes and businesses with electricity or natural gas from Dominion Energy (NYSE: D), headquartered in Richmond, Va. The company is committed to sustainable, reliable, affordable and safe energy and is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy with about $100 billion of assets providing electric generation, transmission and distribution, as well as natural gas storage, transmission, distribution and import/export services. The company expects to cut generating fleet carbon dioxide emissions 80 percent by 2050 and reduce methane emissions from its gas assets 50 percent by 2030. Please visit www.DominionEnergy.com to learn more.

This release contains certain forward-looking statements, including forecasted operating earnings second-quarter and full-year 2019 and beyond which are subject to various risks and uncertainties.  Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to: unusual weather conditions and their effect on energy sales to customers and energy commodity prices; extreme weather events and other natural disasters; federal, state and local legislative and regulatory developments; changes to federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations, including proposed carbon regulations; cost of environmental compliance; changes in enforcement practices of regulators relating to environmental standards and litigation exposure for remedial activities; capital market conditions, including the availability of credit and the ability to obtain financing on reasonable terms; fluctuations in interest rates; changes in rating agency requirements or credit ratings and their effect on availability and cost of capital; impacts of acquisitions, divestitures, transfers of assets by Dominion Energy to joint ventures and retirements of assets based on asset portfolio reviews; receipt of approvals for, and timing of, closing dates for other acquisitions and divestitures; changes in demand for Dominion Energy's services; additional competition in Dominion Energy's industries; changes to regulated rates collected by Dominion Energy; changes in operating, maintenance and construction costs; timing and receipt of regulatory approvals necessary for planned construction or expansion projects and compliance with conditions associated with such regulatory approvals; adverse outcomes in litigation matters or regulatory proceedings; and the inability to complete planned construction projects within time frames initially anticipated.   Other risk factors are detailed from time to time in Dominion Energy's quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or most recent annual report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

Dominion Energy, Inc. 

Consolidated Statements of Income *

Unaudited (GAAP Based)

(millions, except per share amounts)

         
   

Three Months Ended 

   

March 31,

   

2019

 

2018

         

Operating Revenue

 

$       3,858

 

$      3,466

Operating Expenses

       

Electric fuel and other energy-related purchases

 

791

 

744

Purchased electric capacity

 

39

 

14

Purchased gas

 

730

 

340

Other operations and maintenance 1

 

1,837

 

796

Depreciation, depletion and amortization

 

651

 

498

Other taxes

 

292

 

199

Total operating expenses

 

4,340

 

2,591

Income (loss) from operations

 

(482)

 

875

Other income

 

388

 

100

Interest and related charges

 

469

 

314

Income (loss) from operations including noncontrolling interests before
   income tax expense

 

(563)

 

661

Income tax expense

 

114

 

135

Net Income (Loss) Including Noncontrolling Interests

 

(677)

 

526

Noncontrolling Interests

 

3

 

23

Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Dominion Energy

 

$        (680)

 

$         503

Earnings Per Common Share

       

Net income (loss) attributable to Dominion Energy - Basic

 

$       (0.86)

 

$        0.77

Net income (loss) attributable to Dominion Energy - Diluted

 

(0.86)

 

0.77

         

1Includes impairment of assets and other charges.

       
         

* The notes contained in Dominion Energy's most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q or annual report on Form 10-K are 

   an integral part of the Consolidated Financial Statements.

       

 

Schedule 1 - Segment Reported and Operating Earnings

     
                   

Unaudited

               

(millions, except earnings per share)

Three months ended March 31,

 
       

2019

 

2018

 

Change

 
                   

REPORTED EARNINGS 1

   

$         (680)

 

$          503

 

$      (1,183)

 
                   
 

Pre-tax loss (income) 2

1,640

 

305

 

1,335

 
 

Income tax 2

(87)

 

(67)

 

(20)

 

Adjustments to reported earnings

1,553

 

238

 

1,315

 
                   

OPERATING EARNINGS

$          873

 

$          741

 

$          132

 
 

By segment:

           
 

Power Delivery

155

 

156

 

(1)

 
 

Power Generation 

308

 

348

 

(40)

 
 

Gas Infrastructure

359

 

327

 

32

 
 

Southeast Energy 3

132

 

-

 

132

 
 

Corporate and Other

(81)

 

(90)

 

9

 
       

$          873

 

$          741

 

$          132

 
                   

Earnings Per Share (EPS):

           

REPORTED EARNINGS 1

   

$        (0.86)

 

$         0.77

 

$        (1.63)

 

Adjustments to reported earnings (after tax)

1.96

 

0.37

 

1.59

 

OPERATING EARNINGS

$         1.10

 

$         1.14

 

$        (0.04)

 
 

By segment:

           
 

Power Delivery

0.19

 

0.24

 

(0.05)

 
 

Power Generation 

0.39

 

0.54

 

(0.15)

 
 

Gas Infrastructure

0.45

 

0.50

 

(0.05)

 
 

Southeast Energy 3

0.17

 

-

 

0.17

 
 

Corporate and Other

(0.10)

 

(0.14)

 

0.04

 
       

$         1.10

 

$         1.14

 

$        (0.04)

 
                   

Common Shares Outstanding (average, diluted)

793.1

 

650.5

     
                   

1)

Determined in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).

2)

Adjustments to reported earnings are included in Corporate and Other segment reported GAAP earnings.  Refer to Schedules 2 and 3 for details, or find "GAAP Reconciliation" in the Earnings Release Kit on Dominion Energy's website at https://investors.dominionenergy.com.

3)

New operating segment established in January 2019, in connection with Dominion Energy's merger with SCANA.

 

Schedule 2 - Reconciliation of 2019 Operating Earnings to Reported Earnings

 

2019 Earnings (Three months ended March 31, 2019) 

 

The $1.6 billion pre-tax net effect of the adjustments included in 2019 reported earnings, but excluded from operating earnings, is primarily related to the following items:

 
  • $1.4 billion of merger and integration-related costs associated with the SCANA Combination, including a $1 billion charge for refunds of amounts previously collected from retail electric customers of Dominion Energy South Carolina (DESC) for the NND Project, a $105 million charge related to certain property plant and equipment associated with the NND Project for which Dominion Energy committed to forgo recovery, and a $169 million charge related to a settlement agreement of a DESC ratepayer class action lawsuit.
  • $547 million charge associated with Virginia utility asset retirements, primarily electric generation facilities in cold reserve and certain automated meters.
  • $113 million benefit from the revision of certain asset retirement obligations for ash ponds and landfills at certain utility generation facilities, in connection with the enactment of Virginia legislation in March.
  • $253 million net gain related to our investments in nuclear decommissioning trust funds.

Dominion also recorded $198 million after-tax charge for certain income tax-related regulatory assets acquired in the SCANA Combination for which Dominion Energy committed to forgo recovery.

             

(millions, except per share amounts)

1Q19

2Q19

3Q19

4Q19

YTD 2019

Reported earnings 

($680)

     

($680)

Adjustments to reported earnings 1:

         

    Pre-tax loss (income)

1,640

     

1,640

    Income tax

(87)

     

(87)

   

1,553

     

1,553

Operating earnings

$873

     

$873

Common shares outstanding (average, diluted) 

793.1

     

793.1

Reported earnings per share

($0.86)

     

($0.86)

Adjustments to reported earnings (after-tax)

1.96

     

1.96

Operating earnings per share

$1.10

     

$1.10

             

1) Adjustments to reported earnings are reflected in the following table:

       
   

1Q19

2Q19

3Q19

4Q19

YTD 2019

Pre-tax loss (income):

         

    Merger and integration-related costs

1,429

     

1,429

    Virginia utility asset retirements

547

     

547

    Revision to ash pond and landfill closure costs

(113)

     

(113)

    Net gain on NDT funds

(253)

     

(253)

    Other

30

     

30

             
   

$1,640

     

$1,640

Income tax expense (benefit):   

         

   Tax effect of above adjustments to reported earnings *

(255)

     

(255)

   Write-off EDIT regulatory assets (SCANA)

198

     

198

   Other

(30)

     

(30)

             
   

($87)

     

($87)

             

* Income taxes for individual pre-tax items include current and deferred taxes using a transactional effective 

   tax rate. For interim reporting purposes, such amounts may be adjusted in connection with the calculation

  of the Company's year-to-date income tax provision based on its estimated annual effective tax rate.

 

Schedule 3 - Reconciliation of 2018 Operating Earnings to Reported Earnings

 

2018 Earnings (Twelve months ended December 31, 2018) 

 

The $201 million pre-tax net effect of the adjustments included in 2018 reported earnings, but excluded from operating earnings, is primarily related to the following items:

 

  • $759 million net benefit associated with the sales of our non-core assets, primarily reflecting the gains on sales of certain merchant generation assets and our investment in Blue Racer.
  • $219 million impairment charge associated with gathering and processing assets.  
  • $215 million charge associated with Virginia legislation enacted in March that requires one-time rate credits of certain amounts to utility customers.  
  • $170 million net loss related to our investments in nuclear decommissioning trust funds.
  • $124 million charge associated with disallowance of FERC-regulated plant.
  • $81 million charge associated with the asset retirement obligations for ash ponds and landfills at certain utility generation facilities in connection with the enactment of Virginia legislation in April.
  • $74 million of restoration costs associated with major storms, primarily affecting our Virginia service territory.
  •   $37 million of transaction and transition costs associated with the Dominion Energy Questar combination and the acquisition of SCANA Corporation.
               

(millions, except per share amounts)

1Q18

2Q18

3Q18

4Q18

YTD 2018

2

Reported earnings 

$503

$449

$854

$641

$2,447

 

Adjustments to reported earnings 1:

           

    Pre-tax loss (income)

305

145

(199)

(50)

201

 

    Income tax expense (benefit)

(67)

(34)

103

1

3

 
   

238

111

(96)

(49)

204

 

Operating earnings

$741

$560

$758

$592

$2,651

 

Common shares outstanding (average, diluted) 

650.5

653.1

654.9

660.9

654.9

 

Reported earnings per share

$0.77

$0.69

$1.30

$0.97

$3.74

 

Adjustments to reported earnings (after-tax)

0.37

0.17

(0.15)

(0.08)

0.31

 

Operating earnings per share

$1.14

$0.86

$1.15

$0.89

$4.05

 
               

1) Adjustments to reported earnings are reflected in the following table:

         
   

1Q18

2Q18

3Q18

4Q18

YTD 2018

 

Pre-tax loss (income):

           

    Sale of non-core assets

   

(70)

(689)

(759)

 

    Impairment of gathering & processing assets

     

219

219

 

    Impact of Virginia rate legislation

215

     

215

 

    Net (gain) loss on NDT funds

43

(50)

(149)

326

170

 

    FERC-regulated plant disallowance

 

122

2

 

124

 

    Future ash pond and landfill closure costs

 

81

   

81

 

    Storm costs

31

   

43

74

 

    Merger-related transaction and transition costs

16

9

3

9

37

 

    Other

 

(17)

15

42

40

 
               
   

$305

$145

($199)

($50)

$201

 

Income tax expense (benefit):

           

   Tax effect of above adjustments to reported earnings *

(67)

(34)

38

11

(52)

 

    Re-measurement of Deferred Tax balances **

   

47

(1)

46

 

    Valuation Allowance ***

   

18

(9)

9

 
   

($67)

($34)

$103

$1

$3

 
               

* Income taxes for individual pre-tax items include current and deferred taxes using a transactional effective tax rate. For interim reporting purposes, such amounts may be adjusted in connection with the calculation of the Company's year-to-date income tax provision based on its estimated annual effective tax rate.

 
               

** During 2018, the Companies recorded further adjustments to deferred taxes in accordance with recently released tax reform guidance and to revise estimates made at year-end 2017.

 
               

*** In 3Q18, a valuation allowance was established against the portion of a deferred tax asset associated with the non-core assets that was no longer projected of being utilized to offset future taxable income. In 4Q18, the amount was adjusted based on management's assessment that it is more-likely-than-not that a portion of the deferred tax asset would be realized in 2018, to reduce tax expense associated with the sale.

 
               

2)  YTD EPS may not equal sum of quarters due to share count difference.

 

 

Schedule 4 - Reconciliation of 1Q19 Earnings to 1Q18

   
       

Preliminary, Unaudited

Three Months Ended

(millions, except EPS)

March 31,

   

2019 vs. 2018

   

Increase / (Decrease)

Reconciling Items

Amount

EPS

       

Change in reported earnings (GAAP)

($1,183)

($1.63)

       
 

Change in Pre-tax loss (income) 1

1,335

 
 

Change in Income tax 1

(20)

 

Adjustments to reported earnings

$1,315

$1.59

       

Change in consolidated operating earnings

$132

($0.04)

       

Power Delivery

   
 

Regulated electric sales:

   
 

Weather

($8)

($0.01)

 

Other

3

 

Rider investment

12

0.02

 

Other

(8)

(0.01)

 

Share dilution

 

(0.05)

 

Change in contribution to operating earnings

($1)

($0.05)

       

Power Generation 

   
 

Regulated electric sales:

   
 

Weather

($16)

($0.03)

 

Other

(4)

(0.01)

 

Electric capacity

(11)

(0.02)

 

Sale of merchant generation facilities

(14)

(0.02)

 

Other

5

0.01

 

Share dilution

 

(0.08)

 

Change in contribution to operating earnings

($40)

($0.15)

       

Gas Infrastructure 

   
 

Cove Point

$112

$0.17

 

Farmout transactions

(32)

(0.05)

 

Interest

(50)

(0.07)

 

Other

2

 

Share dilution

 

(0.10)

 

Change in contribution to operating earnings

$32

($0.05)

       

Southeast Energy

$132

$0.17

       

Corporate and Other 

   
 

Share dilution and other

$9

$0.04

 

Change in contribution to operating earnings

$9

$0.04

       
       

Change in consolidated operating earnings

$132

($0.04)

       

Change in adjustments included in reported earnings1

($1,315)

($1.59)

       

Change in consolidated reported earnings

($1,183)

($1.63)

       
       

1)

Adjustments to reported earnings are included in Corporate and Other segment reported GAAP earnings.   

 

Refer to Schedules 2 and 3 for details, or find "GAAP Reconciliation" in the Earnings Release Kit on Dominion Energy's website at https://investors.dominionenergy.com.

Note: Figures may not add due to rounding

 

 

SOURCE Dominion Energy

For further information: Media: Ryan Frazier, (804) 819-2521 or C.Ryan.Frazier@dominionenergy.com; Financial analysts: Steven Ridge, (804) 929-6865 or Steven.D.Ridge@dominionenergy.com

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