PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pinnacle West Capital Corp. plans to release its 2025 third-quarter financial results before U.S. financial markets open on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. ...

Core Viewpoint - NorthWestern (NWE) is currently positioned as a more attractive investment option compared to Pinnacle West (PNW) for value investors, based on earnings estimate revisions and valuation metrics [3][7]. Valuation Metrics - NWE has a forward P/E ratio of 15.85, while PNW has a forward P/E of 19.02, indicating that NWE is relatively undervalued [5]. - The PEG ratio for NWE is 2.31, compared to PNW's PEG ratio of 8.97, suggesting that NWE offers better value when considering expected earnings growth [5]. - NWE's P/B ratio stands at 1.22, whereas PNW's P/B ratio is 1.51, further supporting NWE's valuation advantage [6]. Analyst Outlook - NWE holds a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy), reflecting a positive earnings estimate revision activity, while PNW has a Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell), indicating a less favorable outlook [3][7]. - The Value grade for NWE is B, while PNW has a Value grade of C, reinforcing the conclusion that NWE is the superior choice for value investors [6].

Company Overview - Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (PNW) is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, and provides retail and wholesale electric services primarily in Arizona, with a market cap of $10.4 billion [1][2] - PNW is also engaged in real estate development activities in the western U.S. [1] Stock Performance - PNW's stock has declined 9.7% from its 52-week high of $96.50, reached on April 3, and has underperformed the Nasdaq Composite, which gained 13% over the same three-month period [3] - Year-to-date, PNW shares have risen 2.8%, but they have dipped 2.4% over the past 52 weeks, lagging behind the Nasdaq's YTD gains of 16.5% and 24.5% returns over the last year [4] - PNW has been trading below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages since late August, indicating a bearish trend [4] Financial Performance - In Q2, PNW reported an EPS of $1.58, a decline of 10.2% year-over-year, while revenue totaled $1.4 billion, reflecting a 3.8% year-over-year increase [5] - The company expects full-year EPS to be between $4.40 and $4.60 [5] Competitive Landscape - Evergy, Inc. (EVRG) has outperformed PNW, showing YTD gains of 19.8% and 19.5% returns over the past 52 weeks [5] Analyst Sentiment - Wall Street analysts maintain a "Moderate Buy" rating for PNW, with a consensus mean price target of $96.50, suggesting a potential upside of 10.7% from current price levels [6]

iREIT+HOYA Capital is the premier income-focused investing service on Seeking Alpha. Our focus is on income-producing asset classes that offer the opportunity for sustainable portfolio income , diversification , and inflation hedging . Get started with a Free Two-Week Trial and take a look at our top ideas across our exclusive income-focused portfolios.Analyst’s Disclosure:I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, but may initiate a beneficial Long position ...

iREIT+HOYA Capital is the premier income-focused investing service on Seeking Alpha. Our focus is on income-producing asset classes that offer the opportunity for sustainable portfolio income , diversification , and inflation hedging . Get started with a Free Two-Week Trial and take a look at our top ideas across our exclusive income-focused portfolios.Analyst’s Disclosure:I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, but may initiate a beneficial Long position ...

Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (NYSE:PNW) is one of the Best Electric Utility Stocks to Buy According to Analysts. On September 9, Mizuho downgraded the company’s stock to “Neutral” from “Outperform” with a price objective of $90, down from the prior target of $102, as reported by The Fly. The downgrade comes even though the company’s ~5% load growth is supported by large manufacturing facilities and data centers, as the firm’s updated forecast model showcases that regulatory lag will diminish most of t ...

Core Viewpoint - NorthWestern (NWE) is currently positioned as a more attractive investment compared to Pinnacle West (PNW) based on various valuation metrics and earnings outlook [3][7]. Valuation Metrics - NWE has a forward P/E ratio of 15.70, while PNW has a forward P/E of 19.31, indicating that NWE may be undervalued relative to PNW [5]. - The PEG ratio for NWE is 2.29, compared to PNW's PEG ratio of 9.11, suggesting that NWE's expected earnings growth is more favorable [5]. - NWE's P/B ratio stands at 1.21, while PNW's P/B ratio is 1.53, further supporting NWE's valuation advantage [6]. Analyst Outlook - NWE holds a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy), indicating a positive earnings estimate revision trend, while PNW has a Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell), reflecting a less favorable analyst outlook [3][6]. - The overall Value grade for NWE is B, whereas PNW has a Value grade of C, reinforcing NWE's position as the superior value option [6].

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported earnings of $1.58 per share in Q2 2025, a decrease of $0.18 compared to Q2 2024, primarily due to weather, O&M costs, share issuance, pension and OCAD non-service credits, income taxes, and D&A [17] - Weather-normalized sales increased by 5.2% year-over-year, solidly within the guidance range of 4% to 6% [18][20] - The company experienced a 2.4% customer growth in the second quarter, with significant contributions from both residential and commercial & industrial (C&I) customer classes [19] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - C&I sales showed robust growth at 8% for the quarter, driven by diverse data center and large manufacturing customers [18] - O&M costs were higher this quarter due to the timing of a planned major outage at the 4 Corners plant, but the company anticipates balanced spending aligned with O&M guidance in the second half of the year [21] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Arizona's economic backdrop remains strong, with Phoenix ranking in the top three among the hottest new home markets for 2025 [19] - The Arizona Commerce Authority reported a record-breaking year in fiscal 2025, with 24,000 jobs created and over $31 billion in business investments [8] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company updated its clean energy goal from zero carbon to carbon neutral by 2050, focusing on reliability and affordability for customers [12] - A new pipeline project with Transwestern Pipeline Company is expected to enhance regional energy reliability by expanding natural gas transport capacity [10][11] - The company is focused on investments to protect the grid from extreme weather and has proposed a formula rate adjustment mechanism to improve timely recovery of costs [14][15] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the long-term sales growth guidance of 4% to 6% through 2027, supported by strong in-migration and population growth [20] - The company is closely monitoring sales growth and weather as it moves through the summer, with expectations to end the year in the top half of the full-year EPS range of $4.4 to $4.6 per share [22][23] Other Important Information - The company filed a rate case on June 13, requesting an increase of annual revenue of $580 million, with rates expected to be in effect in 2026 [13] - The company is evaluating additional opportunities to build FERC jurisdictional transmission for customer benefit [11] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you elaborate on the opportunity to scale beyond the current RFP? - Management indicated that the pipeline project is foundational for building generation and transmission needed for future growth, with the potential to exceed two gigawatts in total results from RFP and procurement efforts [29][31] Question: What is the scale of the transmission opportunity? - Management confirmed that transmission investments are expected to grow alongside generation investments, with a run rate of $300 to $400 million for local area projects [36][37] Question: How do you expect regulatory lag to evolve through 2026 and beyond? - Management explained that regulatory lag will remain significant until the conclusion of the rate case in 2026, with the first ability to file a formula rate adjustment expected in 2027 [46][48] Question: What is the risk if uncommitted growth projects do not materialize? - Management stated that the pipeline is essential for long-term reliability for existing customers, regardless of uncommitted projects [90][91] Question: When should guidance for 2026 be expected? - Management indicated that guidance for 2026 would typically be provided during the third quarter call, following the procedural schedule of the rate case [98]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company earned $1.58 per share in Q2 2025, a decrease of $0.18 compared to Q2 2024, primarily due to weather, O&M costs, share issuance, pension and OCAD non-service credits, income taxes, and D&A [15][16] - Weather normalized sales increased by 5.2% year-over-year, solidly within the guidance range of 4% to 6% [17][19] - The company experienced a 2.4% customer growth in Q2 2025, with strong in-migration and population growth in Arizona [18][19] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported strong sales growth from both residential and commercial & industrial (C&I) customer classes, with C&I showing robust growth at 8% for the quarter [17] - O&M costs were higher this quarter due to the timing of a planned major outage at the 4 Corners plant, but the company anticipates balanced spending aligned with O&M guidance in the second half of the year [20] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Arizona's economic backdrop remains strong, with a projected 24,000 jobs created and over $31 billion in business investments in the state [7] - Phoenix ranked in the top three among the hottest new home markets for 2025, indicating strong demand for utility services [18] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company updated its clean energy goal from zero carbon to carbon neutral by 1950, focusing on reliability and affordability for customers [11] - The company is investing in transmission infrastructure to support growth and reliability, with a significant increase in capital investment planned for transmission projects [10][36] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the long-term sales growth guidance of 4% to 6% through 2027, supported by strong economic conditions and customer growth [19] - The company is focused on reducing regulatory lag and controlling costs while ensuring reliable service for customers [13][14] Other Important Information - The company filed a rate case requesting an increase of annual revenue of $580 million, with rates expected to be in effect in 2026 [12] - The company has secured a critical pipeline project to support natural gas generation and regional energy reliability [9][10] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you elaborate on the pipeline project and its implications? - The pipeline is a critical strategic commitment for long-term reliable natural gas supply, supporting generation and transmission needed for state growth [27][28] Question: What is the expected timeline for the rate case and regulatory lag? - The rate case is expected to conclude in 2026, with the first ability to file a formula rate adjustment based on updated costs anticipated in 2027 [46] Question: How much capacity can the pipeline serve into the early 2030s? - The pipeline will support close to 4.5 gigawatts of committed customer demand and nearly 20 gigawatts of uncommitted queue requests [49] Question: What are the risks if uncommitted growth projects do not materialize? - The pipeline is essential for long-term reliability for existing customers, regardless of uncommitted growth projects [87] Question: When will the company provide guidance for 2026? - The company expects to provide earnings guidance for 2026 during the third quarter call, following the procedural schedule of the rate case [96]

Core Insights - Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (PNW) reported second-quarter 2025 earnings of $1.58 per share, matching the Zacks Consensus Estimate but down from $1.76 per share in the same quarter last year [1][8] Total Revenues of PNW - Total sales for the quarter reached $1.36 billion, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.26 billion by 7.5% and representing a 3.8% increase from $1.31 billion in the year-ago quarter [2][8] PNW's Operational Highlights - Total operating expenses amounted to $1.05 billion, reflecting a 6.1% year-over-year increase due to higher fuel and purchased power costs, increased operations and maintenance expenses, and higher depreciation and amortization [3] - Operating income was $307.6 million, down 1.9% from $313.7 million in the prior-year quarter [3] - Total interest expenses were $113.5 million, up 4.2% from $108.9 million in the previous year [3] PNW's Financial Highlights - As of June 30, 2025, cash and cash equivalents totaled $18.8 million, a significant increase from $3.84 million as of December 31, 2024 [4] - Long-term debt, less current maturities, stood at $8.51 billion compared to $8.06 billion as of December 31, 2024 [4] - Net cash flow from operating activities for the first half of 2025 was $663.3 million, up from $537.1 million in the same period last year [4] PNW's Guidance - The company expects consolidated earnings for 2025 to be in the range of $4.40-$4.60 per share, with the Zacks Consensus Estimate at $4.53, which is higher than the midpoint of the company's guidance [5] - Pinnacle West plans to invest $7.6 billion from 2025 to 2027 to enhance its operations [5] - Management anticipates a 1.5-2.5% increase in retail customers for 2025 [5] PNW's Zacks Rank - Pinnacle West currently holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold) [6]