Premier natural gas company Spectra Energy Corp. SE reported second-quarter 2015 earnings per share from continuing operations of 23 cents, which comfortably beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 18 cents. The bottom line was also a penny ahead of the year-ago quarter earnings. The upside came from improved results at the Spectra Energy Partners segment.
The company’s operating revenues of $1,192.0 million fell 4.9% from the year-ago level of $1,253.0 million and also came in below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,403.0 million.
Operational Analysis
Spectra Energy Partners: The segment posted quarterly earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of $478.0 million, which reflects an increase of 27.8% from the year-ago quarter. The rise in EBITDA is attributable to higher earnings from expansions completed earlier as well as increased equity earnings from the Sand Hills natural gas liquids (NGLs) pipeline. The company’s Express pipeline, in turn, witnessed higher revenue growth on the back of increased volumes and tariff rates. The expansion projects include TEAM 2014, TEAM South, and Kingsport.
Distribution: The segment reported a year-over-year decrease of 12.5% in EBITDA to $98.0 million from $112.0 million. The decline was mainly due to a weaker Canadian dollar.
Western Canada Transmission & Processing: The segment witnessed an EBITDA of $104.0 million, down 6.3% from the year-earlier level.
Field Services: Spectra Energy reported that the 50% it owns of the Field Services segment incurred a loss of $27 million in the second quarter. The reported results compared unfavorably with the income recorded in the year-ago quarter. The decrease in equity earnings was mainly due to lower commodity prices.
Production and Price Realizations
The company produced NGLs of 408 thousand barrels per day (MBbl/d), down from the year-ago quarter level of 452 MBbl/d. Price of NGLs averaged 48 cents per gallon (down 48.4% year over year), while crude oil averaged approximately $57.94 per barrel (down 43.7% year over year). Natural gas was sold at $2.64 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) as against $4.67 per MMBtu in the second quarter of 2014.
Balance Sheet
As of Jun 30, 2015, Spectra Energy had long-term debt of approximately $12.8 billion with a debt-to-capitalization ratio of 55.9% (compared with 56.8% in the preceding quarter).
Zacks Rank
Spectra Energy currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Some better-ranked stocks from the same space are Seadrill Partners, LLC SDLP, Holly Energy Partners L.P. HEP and Valero Energy Partners, L.P. VLP. Each of these stocks sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Be the first to comment