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ALLENTOWN, Pa., Oct. 31, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) announced on Thursday (10/31) third-quarter reported earnings of $410 million, or $0.62 per share, compared with $355 million, or $0.61 per share, a year ago. For the first nine months of 2013, PPL's reported earnings were $1.23 billion, or $1.90 per share, compared with $1.17 billion, or $2.00 per share, for the first nine months of 2012.

Adjusting for special items, PPL's third-quarter earnings from ongoing operations were $432 million, or $0.66 per share, compared with $419 million, or $0.72 per share, a year ago. For the first nine months of 2013, earnings from ongoing operations were $1.20 billion, or $1.85 per share, compared with $1.13 billion, or $1.93 per share, for the first nine months of 2012. Reported earnings and earnings from ongoing operations for both periods of 2013 were negatively affected by a $0.06 per share non-cash adjustment of deferred tax assets.

"The solid third-quarter performance and continued growth in earnings from ongoing operations from our regulated business segments allow us to increase the midpoint of our 2013 forecast of earnings from ongoing operations," said William H. Spence, PPL's chairman, president and chief executive officer.

PPL's increased 2013 forecast of earnings from ongoing operations is a range of $2.30 to $2.40 per share. The forecast of reported earnings is $2.35 to $2.45 per share, reflecting special items recorded through the third quarter.          

Third-Quarter 2013 Earnings Details

 

PPL's reported earnings for the third quarter of 2013 include net special item charges of $0.04 per share. The charges include $0.13 per share for foreign currency-related economic hedges, $0.03 per share from an adjustment to the accrued liability for line losses during a U.K. price control period preceding PPL's acquisition of WPD Midlands, and $0.01 per share from adjusted energy-related economic activity, partially offset by a $0.13 per share credit for a reduction in the U.K. corporate income tax rate.

Reported earnings are calculated in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Earnings from ongoing operations, a non-GAAP financial measure, are adjusted for special items that include the impact of adjusted energy-related economic activity, foreign currency-related economic hedges and other impacts fully detailed at the end of this news release. 

(See the tables at the end of the news release for details as to the reconciliation of earnings from ongoing operations to reported earnings.)

2013 Third-Quarter and Nine-Month Earnings by Business Segment

The following chart shows PPL's earnings by business segment for the third quarter and first nine months of 2013, compared with the same periods of 2012.

 

(For more details and a breakout of special items by segment, see the reconciliation tables at the end of this news release.)

Key Factors Impacting Business Segment Earnings from Ongoing Operations

Kentucky Regulated Segment
PPL's Kentucky regulated segment primarily consists of the regulated electricity and natural gas operations of Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company.

Segment earnings from ongoing operations in the third quarter of 2013 increased by $0.02 per share compared with a year ago. This increase was primarily due to higher base rates that became effective Jan. 1 and returns from additional environmental capital investments, partially offset by lower sales volume due to weather and dilution of $0.02 per share.

Segment earnings from ongoing operations during the first nine months of 2013 increased by $0.10 per share compared to a year ago. This increase was primarily due to higher base rates that became effective Jan. 1 and returns from additional environmental capital investments, partially offset by dilution of $0.02 per share.

U.K. Regulated Segment
PPL's U.K. regulated segment consists of the regulated electricity delivery operations of Western Power Distribution, serving Southwest and Central England and South Wales.

Segment earnings from ongoing operations in the third quarter of 2013 increased by $0.03 per share compared with a year ago. This increase was primarily due to higher electricity delivery prices and lower U.K. income taxes, partially offset by an accrual for over-recovery of current-year revenues, lower sales volume due to weather, higher operation and maintenance expense and dilution of $0.03 per share.

Segment earnings from ongoing operations during the first nine months of 2013 increased by $0.12 per share compared to a year ago. This increase was primarily due to higher electricity delivery prices, increased sales volume due to weather, and lower U.K. income taxes, partially offset by an accrual for over-recovery of current-year revenues, higher operation and maintenance expense, higher depreciation and dilution of $0.11 per share.

Pennsylvania Regulated Segment
PPL's Pennsylvania regulated segment consists of the regulated electricity delivery operations of PPL Electric Utilities.

Segment earnings from ongoing operations in the third quarter of 2013 increased by $0.02 per share compared with a year ago. This increase was primarily due to higher electricity base rates that became effective Jan. 1 and higher transmission margins from additional capital investments, partially offset by dilution of $0.01 per share.

Segment earnings from ongoing operations during the first nine months of 2013 increased by $0.08 per share compared to a year ago. This increase was primarily due to higher electricity base rates that became effective Jan. 1, higher transmission margins from additional capital investments and lower operation and maintenance expense, partially offset by higher depreciation and dilution of $0.03 per share.

Supply Segment
PPL's supply segment consists primarily of the competitive electricity generation and energy marketing operations of PPL Energy Supply.

Segment earnings from ongoing operations in the third quarter of 2013 decreased by $0.12 per share compared with a year ago. This decrease was primarily due to lower baseload energy prices, lower baseload generation, higher operation and maintenance expense, higher income taxes and dilution of $0.02 per share. The higher income taxes resulted primarily from a $0.04 per share non-cash adjustment of deferred tax assets. The decline in segment earnings was partially offset by higher capacity prices.

Segment earnings from ongoing operations during the first nine months of 2013 decreased by $0.35 per share compared to a year ago. This decrease was primarily due to lower baseload energy prices, higher fuel costs, higher income taxes, higher depreciation and dilution of $0.03 per share. The higher income taxes resulted primarily from a $0.04 per share non-cash adjustment of deferred tax assets. The decline in segment earnings was partially offset by higher capacity prices, higher intermediate and peaking margins and higher baseload generation.

 

PPL expects lower earnings per share in 2013 compared with 2012, primarily due to lower earnings in the Supply segment and expected dilution of $0.25 per share associated with shares related to the 2010 and 2011 Equity Units and the April 2012 forward stock sale that settled in 2013, partially offset by higher earnings in the three regulated segments.   

Kentucky Regulated Segment
PPL expects higher segment earnings in 2013 compared with 2012, primarily driven by base rate increases and returns on additional environmental capital investments. Dilution is expected to be $0.03 per share.

 

U.K. Regulated Segment
PPL expects higher segment earnings in 2013 compared with 2012, primarily driven by higher electricity delivery prices and lower income taxes, partially offset by higher operation and maintenance expense, higher depreciation and higher interest expense. Dilution is expected to be $0.13 per share.

 

Pennsylvania Regulated Segment
PPL expects higher segment earnings in 2013 compared with 2012, primarily driven by higher distribution revenues from the Jan. 1 base rate increase and higher transmission margins due to additional capital investment, partially offset by higher depreciation and higher interest expense. Dilution is expected to be $0.04 per share.  

 

Supply Segment
PPL expects lower segment earnings in 2013 compared with 2012, primarily driven by lower energy prices, higher fuel costs, higher depreciation, higher taxes and higher financing costs, partially offset by lower operation and maintenance expense, higher capacity prices and higher baseload generation output. Dilution is expected to be $0.05 per share.

Corporate and Other
This category includes primarily unallocated corporate-level financing and other costs.

PPL Corporation, with revenues of more than $12 billion in 2012, is one of the largest companies in the U.S. utility sector. The PPL family of companies delivers electricity and natural gas to about 10 million customers in the United States and the United Kingdom, owns more than 18,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States and sells energy in key U.S. markets. More information is available at www.pplweb.com.    

 

 

(Note: All references to earnings per share in the text and tables of this news release are stated in terms of diluted earnings per share.)

 

Conference Call and Webcast

 

PPL invites interested parties to listen to a live Internet webcast of management's teleconference with financial analysts about third-quarter 2013 financial results at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday, Oct. 31. The meeting is available online live, in audio format, with slides of the presentation, on PPL's website: www.pplweb.com. The webcast will be available for replay on the PPL website for 30 days. Interested individuals also can access the live conference call via telephone at 866-652-5200. International participants should call 1-412-317-6060.

 

"Earnings from ongoing operations," also referred to as "ongoing earnings," should not be considered as an alternative to reported earnings, or net income attributable to PPL shareowners, which is an indicator of operating performance determined in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). PPL believes that "earnings from ongoing operations," although a non-GAAP financial measure, is also useful and meaningful to investors because it provides management's view of PPL's fundamental earnings performance as another criterion in making investment decisions. PPL's management also uses "earnings from ongoing operations" in measuring certain corporate performance goals. Other companies may use different measures to present financial performance.

 

"Earnings from ongoing operations" is adjusted for the impact of special items. Special items include:

• Adjusted energy-related economic activity (as discussed below).
• Foreign currency-related economic hedges.
• Gains and losses on sales of assets not in the ordinary course of business.
• Impairment charges (including impairments of securities in the company's nuclear decommissioning trust funds).
• Workforce reduction and other restructuring effects.
• Acquisition-related adjustments.
• Other charges or credits that are, in management's view, not reflective of the company's ongoing operations.

 

Adjusted energy-related economic activity includes the changes in fair value of positions used to economically hedge a portion of the economic value of the competitive generation assets, full-requirement sales contracts and retail activities. This economic value is subject to changes in fair value due to market price volatility of the input and output commodities (e.g., fuel and power) prior to the delivery period that was hedged. Adjusted energy-related economic activity also includes the premium amortization associated with options, the ineffective portion of qualifying cash flow hedges and realized economic activity associated with the monetization of certain full-requirement sales contracts in 2010. This economic activity was deferred, with the exception of the full-requirement sales contracts that were monetized, and included in earnings from ongoing operations over the delivery period of the item that was hedged or upon realization. Management believes that adjusting for such amounts provides a better matching of earnings from ongoing operations to the actual amounts settled for PPL's underlying hedged assets. Please refer to the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements and MD&A in PPL Corporation's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for additional information on adjusted energy-related economic activity.

 

Statements contained in this news release, including statements with respect to future earnings, cash flows, financing, regulation and corporate strategy, are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Although PPL Corporation believes that the expectations and assumptions reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in the statements. The following are among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements: market demand and prices for energy, capacity and fuel; weather conditions affecting customer energy usage and operating costs; competition in power markets; the effect of any business or industry restructuring; the profitability and liquidity of PPL Corporation and its subsidiaries; new accounting requirements or new interpretations or applications of existing requirements; operating performance of generating plants and other facilities; the length of scheduled and unscheduled outages at our generating plants; environmental conditions and requirements and the related costs of compliance, including environmental capital expenditures and emission allowance and other expenses; system conditions and operating costs; development of new projects, markets and technologies; performance of new ventures; asset or business acquisitions and dispositions, and PPL Corporation's ability to realize the expected benefits from acquired businesses, including the 2010 acquisition of Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company and the 2011 acquisition of the Central Networks electricity distribution businesses in the U.K.; any impact of hurricanes or other severe weather on our business, including any impact on fuel prices; receipt of necessary government permits, approvals, rate relief and regulatory cost recovery; capital market conditions and decisions regarding capital structure; the impact of state, federal or foreign investigations applicable to PPL Corporation and its subsidiaries; the outcome of litigation against PPL Corporation and its subsidiaries; stock price performance; the market prices of equity securities and the impact on pension income and resultant cash funding requirements for defined benefit pension plans; the securities and credit ratings of PPL Corporation and its subsidiaries; political, regulatory or economic conditions in states, regions or countries where PPL Corporation or its subsidiaries conduct business, including any potential effects of threatened or actual terrorism or war or other hostilities; foreign exchange rates; new state, federal or foreign legislation, including new tax legislation; and the commitments and liabilities of PPL Corporation and its subsidiaries. Any such forward-looking statements should be considered in light of such important factors and in conjunction with PPL Corporation's Form 10-K and other reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOURCE PPL Corporation