NorthWestern (NWE) Q3 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates

Core Insights - NorthWestern (NWE) reported quarterly earnings of $0.79 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.75 per share, and up from $0.65 per share a year ago, representing an earnings surprise of +5.33% [1] - The company achieved revenues of $387 million for the quarter ended September 2025, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.59% and increasing from $345.2 million year-over-year [2] - NorthWestern has outperformed consensus EPS estimates three times in the last four quarters [2] Earnings Performance - The earnings surprise for the previous quarter was +5.26%, with actual earnings of $0.40 per share compared to an expected $0.38 [1] - The current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is $1.21, with projected revenues of $415.26 million, and for the current fiscal year, the EPS estimate is $3.58 on revenues of $1.61 billion [7] Stock Performance and Outlook - NorthWestern shares have increased by approximately 14.8% since the beginning of the year, while the S&P 500 has gained 17.2% [3] - The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank 4 (Sell), indicating expectations of underperformance in the near future due to unfavorable estimate revisions prior to the earnings release [6] Industry Context - The Utility - Electric Power industry, to which NorthWestern belongs, is currently ranked in the top 21% of over 250 Zacks industries, suggesting a favorable outlook compared to lower-ranked industries [8] - Another company in the same industry, PPL, is expected to report quarterly earnings of $0.46 per share, reflecting a year-over-year increase of +9.5%, with revenues projected at $2.17 billion, up 5.1% from the previous year [9][10]