Spark Energy (NASDAQ:SPKE):
Q3 EPS of $0.93 may not be comparable to consensus of -$0.03.
Revenue of $207.09M (-19.9% Y/Y) misses by $43.61M.
Press Release
"Our third quarter was strong, with significant improvements compared to the third quarter of last year. As expected, higher unit margins more than offset the slight increase we saw in G&A compared to the third quarter of 2018. Our overall customer book is much healthier with attrition in line with prior year. We are approaching the final steps of our brand and system consolidations and still expecting over $22 million in run-rate savings by year end 2019. We have greatly simplified our platform and expect to realize improved economies of scale and empower Spark's story going forward," said Nathan Kroeker, Spark's President and Chief Executive Officer.
Summary Third Quarter 2019 Financial Results
For the quarter ended September 30, 2019, Spark reported Adjusted EBITDA of $28.1 million compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $18.6 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2018. This increase of $9.5 million was driven by an increase in retail gross margin, more than offsetting increases in customer acquisition spending compared to the third quarter of 2018.
For the quarter ended September 30, 2019, Spark reported Retail Gross Margin of $58.2 million compared to Retail Gross Margin of $45.8 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2018. This increase of $12.4 million was primarily attributable to a 78% increase in electricity unit margins and a 13% increase in gas unit margins. Our ERCOT summer insurance hedging strategy combined with an increased percentage of residential customers in the overall customer book contributed to the successful quarter.
Net income for the quarter ended September 30, 2019, was $37.7 million compared to net income of $18.8 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2018. The increase in performance compared to the prior year was primarily the result of the increase in the non-cash mark to market position of our hedge portfolio of $25.3 million compared with the non-cash mark to market position of our hedge portfolio of $18.9 million in the third quarter of 2018. This combined with the $12.4 million increase in retail gross margin allowed for significant increased performance.