CEG Stock: Constellation Energy (NASDAQ: CEG) saw its stock price plummet by 11% on Monday morning, despite reporting strong earnings that beat Wall Street’s expectations. Analysts were anticipating the company to earn $2.64 per share with sales around $5.7 billion. However, Constellation announced that it actually earned $2.74 per share and brought in over $6.5 billion in sales.
What’s more impressive is that when looking at earnings according to standard accounting practices (GAAP), Constellation’s profits reached $3.82 per share, marking a remarkable 69% increase from the same quarter last year. While sales growth was modest at 7%, the company also recently announced it would be restarting a nuclear power unit at the Three Mile Island facility to provide electricity to Microsoft’s AI data centers for the next 20 years.
Despite these positive indicators, Constellation’s stock fell sharply. The primary reason for this drop seems to be a recent regulatory decision affecting a different utility company, Talen Energy, which had its request denied by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to increase nuclear power supply for an Amazon data center. Although this decision does not directly impact Constellation’s deal with Microsoft, the similarity in the nature of the projects led to investor concern and comparisons that negatively affected Constellation’s stock.
Investors are now wary about potential regulatory risks that could impact Constellation’s growth, especially given its stock is trading at nearly 29 times the projected earnings for 2024, which is considered high for a utility company that offers a low dividend yield of 0.5%.
In conclusion, even though Constellation Energy has shown strong earnings, the regulatory uncertainties linked to similar projects are causing investor anxiety, resulting in the significant drop in stock price. As always, potential investors should carefully consider market conditions and regulatory landscapes before making decisions about stocks like CEG.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Please consult a qualified financial advisor or conduct your own research before making investment decisions.
