MGE (MGEE) came out with quarterly earnings of $1.13 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.17 per share. This compares to earnings of $1.05 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.
This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of -3.42%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this public utility holding company would post earnings of $0.95 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.66, delivering a surprise of -30.53%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has not been able to surpass consensus EPS estimates.
MGE
The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.
MGE shares have added about 25.6% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 21.2%.
What's Next for MGE?
While MGE has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?
There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.
Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for MGE: mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.64 on $167.94 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $3.69 on $674.38 million in revenues for the current fiscal year.
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Utility - Electric Power is currently in the top 39% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.
Vistra Corp. (VST), another stock in the same industry, has yet to report results for the quarter ended September 2024. The results are expected to be released on November 7.
This company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $1.24 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -0.8%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 30.1% lower over the last 30 days to the current level.
Vistra Corp.'s revenues are expected to be $4.96 billion, up 21.4% from the year-ago quarter.
Research Chief Names "Single Best Pick to Double"
From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all.
This company targets millennial and Gen Z audiences, generating nearly $1 billion in revenue last quarter alone. A recent pullback makes now an ideal time to jump aboard. Of course, all our elite picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months.
MGE Energy Inc. (MGEE) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Vistra Corp. (VST) : Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
