Earnings Preview: NorthWestern (NWE) Q2 Earnings Expected to Decline

Company Overview - NorthWestern (NWE) is expected to report a year-over-year decline in earnings, with a projected EPS of $0.38, reflecting a decrease of 28.3% compared to the previous year [3] - Revenues are anticipated to be $328.81 million, which represents a 2.8% increase from the same quarter last year [3] Earnings Expectations - The earnings report is scheduled for July 30, and the stock may rise if the results exceed expectations, while a miss could lead to a decline [2] - The consensus EPS estimate has been revised down by 1.22% over the last 30 days, indicating a bearish sentiment among analysts [4] Earnings Surprise Prediction - The Most Accurate Estimate for NorthWestern is lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, resulting in an Earnings ESP of -1.33%, which complicates predictions of an earnings beat [12] - NorthWestern currently holds a Zacks Rank of 3, suggesting a hold position, which further complicates the outlook for beating the consensus EPS estimate [12] Historical Performance - In the last reported quarter, NorthWestern had an EPS of $1.22, surpassing the expected $1.16, resulting in a surprise of +5.17% [13] - Over the past four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates two times [14] Industry Comparison - DTE Energy, a peer in the utility sector, is expected to report an EPS of $1.54 for the same quarter, indicating a year-over-year increase of 7.7% [18] - DTE Energy's revenues are projected to be $3.02 billion, up 5% from the previous year, but it also has a negative Earnings ESP of -3.8% [19]