Dominion Resources, Inc. Generates Another In-Line Quarter

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Dominion Resources'(NYSE: D) quarterly results continue to be as reliable as the power it generates. Heading into the quarter, Dominion expected its operating earnings to be in a range of $0.65 to $0.75 per share. When all was said and done, it generated earnings that were slightly above the midpoint of that range. Because of that stability, the company does not anticipate having any trouble meeting its full-year expectations.

Dominion results: The raw numbers

Metric

Q2 2016 Actuals

Q2 2015 Actuals

Growth (YOY)

Operating earnings

$441 million

$429 million

2.8%

Operating EPS

$0.71

$0.73

-2.7%

Data source: Dominion Resources.

What happened with Dominion this quarter?

Dominion continues to generate steady results:

  • Dominion's operating earnings were in the upper half of its guidance range due to solid operational performance during the quarter. Earnings were slightly lower than last year on a per share basis due to milder weather, a planned refueling outage at its Millstone Nuclear Power Station, and a higher share count.
  • The company commenced operations at its Brunswick County 1,358-megawatt natural gas combined cycle facility at the beginning of the quarter, putting it into service ahead of schedule and under budget.

What management had to say

CEO Tomas Ferrell, commenting on the company's results, said:

Farrell had two important messages for investors. First, the company's current operations are rock-solid, which is why the company is generating earnings in the upper half of its guidance range.

In addition to that, the company is making excellent progress on its three major growth projects. Of that trio, the Greenville County Power Station is worth noting because the construction of that $1.3 billion project began during the quarter. The company anticipates that the facility will go into service in 2019 and save its customers about $2 billion in power costs over the plant's expected 36-year lifespan.

Looking forward

Dominion expects its stable results to continue in the third quarter. The company is guiding for operating earnings to be in the range of $0.95 to $1.10 per share, which at the midpoint is close to the $1.03 per share it earned in the year-ago quarter. Meanwhile, because of its steady results thus far, and expectations for more of the same, it is maintaining its full-year guidance range of $3.60 to $4.00 per share.

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Matt DiLallo has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Dominion Resources. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.