Genie Energy Stock Rises on Y/Y Earnings & Customer Growth in Q1

Core Viewpoint - Genie Energy Ltd. has demonstrated strong financial performance in Q1 2025, with significant revenue and net income growth, outperforming the broader market trends [1][2][3]. Financial Performance - Total revenues increased by 14.3% year over year to $136.8 million, up from $119.7 million, driven by a 17.8% rise in Genie Retail Energy segment revenues [2]. - Net income attributable to common stockholders rose 30.9% to $10.6 million, translating to diluted EPS of 40 cents, up from 30 cents in Q1 2024 [3]. - Non-GAAP net income increased 24.7% to $11.1 million, with non-GAAP EPS rising to 42 cents from 33 cents [3]. Operational Strength & Customer Growth - Genie Retail Energy reported net additions of over 48,000 meters, ending the quarter with 413,000 meters and 402,000 residential customer equivalents, reflecting increases of 13.3% and 15.6% respectively [4]. - The company maintained a customer churn rate of 5.5%, consistent with the previous year [5]. - Income from operations for Genie Retail Energy rose 18.2% year over year to $16.8 million, while adjusted EBITDA increased 17.1% to $17.1 million [6]. Renewables Segment Performance - Genie Renewables experienced a 40% year-over-year drop in revenues to $4.3 million due to exiting the commercial-scale solar project business [7]. - Despite the decline, Diversegy, the energy brokerage arm, saw a 55% increase in revenues, contributing significantly to the segment [7]. - Genie Renewables posted a loss from operations of $0.9 million, wider than the $0.6 million loss in Q1 2024, reflecting ongoing investments in utility-scale projects [8]. Management Insights & Strategic Direction - CEO Michael Stein noted the normalization of margins in the retail energy business and credited customer retention programs for maintaining churn rates [9]. - CFO Avi Goldin highlighted strong cash flow generation and disciplined cost management, with SG&A expenses rising only 4.3% year over year [10]. Guidance & Future Outlook - Management reaffirmed full-year adjusted EBITDA guidance of $40-$50 million, anticipating continued strength in Genie Retail Energy and contributions from the solar development pipeline [11]. Shareholder Returns & Financial Position - In the quarter, Genie Energy repurchased approximately 127,000 shares for $1.9 million and paid a quarterly dividend of 7.5 cents per share, returning a total of $3.9 million to shareholders [12]. - As of March 31, 2025, the company held $210.2 million in cash and marketable securities, up from $201 million at the end of 2024 [12].