American Electric cuts profit forecast, spending plan
Earnings from continuing operations, excluding one-time items, will be $2.75 to $3.05 a share, down from an earlier forecast of $3 to $3.40, Columbus, Ohio-based American Electric said in a statement. Proceeds from the planned share sale will be used to reduce debt, the company said in a separate statement.
“In addition to the effect of dilution from our planned stock issuance, the ongoing economic downturn is a significant factor in our revised guidance,” Chief Executive Officer Michael Morris said in the statement. “Retail demand for electricity, primarily from our industrial customers, is down, which has a negative impact on earnings from our regulated utilities.”
The recession also is curbing the sale of power on wholesale markets, Morris said.
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Texans to vote on funding to modernize electricity generation
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The energy fund would be administered and used only by the Public Utility Commission of Texas to provide loans and grants to maintain and upgrade electric generating facilities.
The biggest chunk of the fund, $7.2 billion, would go into loans and incentives to build new power-generating facilities in the ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) region.
The proposal, titled Proposition 7, is one of several efforts by lawmakers…
