CenterPoint Energy Reports Strong Second Quarter Results and Raises Full Year Earnings Guidance

• Reported Q2 2022 earnings of $0.28 and $0.31 per diluted share on a GAAP and non-GAAP basis, respectively
• Full year 2022 non-GAAP EPS guidance increased to $1.37-$1.39, representing an increase of 9% at the midpoint compared to full year 2021
• From this higher $1.37-$1.39 guidance, CNP is reaffirming industry leading non-GAAP EPS growth of 8% annually for 2023 and 2024 and mid to high-end of the 6-8% annually range from 2025 through 2030
• Capital spending on track for year with ~$2 billion invested as of the end of Q2 for the benefit of customers
• Continued 30-year trend of at least 2% average annual customer growth in Houston area supporting customer affordability

CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) or “CenterPoint” today reported income available to common shareholders of $179 million, or $0.28 per diluted share on a GAAP basis, for the second quarter of 2022 compared to $0.37 of diluted earnings per share, including $0.09 of midstream for the second quarter of 2021.

On a non-GAAP basis, EPS for the second quarter was $0.31, an 11% increase to the comparable quarter in 2021. The positive variance was primarily driven by favorable weather, usage and continued organic growth across the Houston Electric service territory, which represented an increase of approximately $0.03 per share over second quarter of 2021.

“The full year 2022 guidance raise is driven by the increased confidence around our business performance, primarily driven by the performance of our Houston Electric business. This is the fifth time we have increased our guidance under this management team. We are now on track to meet $1.37-$1.39 non-GAAP EPS guidance for the full year 2022, a 9% increase over 2021, setting a new and higher baseline for future earnings growth,” said Dave Lesar, President and Chief Executive Officer of CenterPoint.

“We are in year two of our ten-year, $40 billion-plus capital plan and have invested nearly 50% of our 2022 investment plan as of the second quarter. We expect to be in a position to update our investment plan on our third quarter earnings call, focused on incremental customer driven capital opportunities to continue our investment in the resiliency, safety, and growth across our system. We are committed to executing this plan with a continued focus on customer affordability,” continued Lesar.

Lesar added, “We remain steadfast on delivering on our premium value proposition quarter after quarter, underpinned by our pure play regulated utility model, to the benefit of our customers, investors and other stakeholders.”

Earnings Outlook

Given the merger between Enable and Energy Transfer and CenterPoint’s divestiture of its remaining midstream investments during 2022, CenterPoint will be presenting a consolidated non-GAAP EPS guidance range for 2022, which is the comparable measure to non-GAAP Utility EPS reported in 2021.

In addition to presenting its financial results in accordance with GAAP, including presentation of income (loss) available to common shareholders and diluted earnings (loss) per share, CenterPoint provides guidance based on non-GAAP income and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share. Generally, a non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical measure of a company’s historical or future financial performance that excludes or includes amounts that are not normally excluded or included in the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure.

Management evaluates CenterPoint’s financial performance in part based on non-GAAP income and non-GAAP earnings per share. Management believes that presenting these non-GAAP financial measures enhances an investor’s understanding of CenterPoint’s overall financial performance by providing them with an additional meaningful and relevant comparison of current and anticipated future results across periods. The adjustments made in these non-GAAP financial measures exclude items that management believes do not most accurately reflect the company’s fundamental business performance. These excluded items are reflected in the reconciliation tables of this news release, where applicable. CenterPoint’s non-GAAP income and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share measures should be considered as a supplement to, and not as a substitute for, or superior to, income available to common shareholders and diluted earnings per share, which respectively are the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. These non-GAAP financial measures also may be different than non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies.

2021 non-GAAP Utility EPS

“Utility EPS” (a non-GAAP financial measure) included net income from the company’s Electric and Natural Gas segments, as well as after-tax Corporate and Other operating income and an allocation of corporate overhead based upon Electric’s and Natural Gas’s relative earnings contribution. Corporate overhead consisted primarily of interest expense, preferred stock dividend requirements, and other items directly attributable to the parent along with the associated income taxes.

• 2021 Utility EPS excluded:
  • Earnings or losses from the change in value of the CenterPoint 2.0% Zero-Premium Exchangeable Subordinated Notes due 2029 (“ZENS”) and related securities
  • Earnings and losses associated with the ownership and disposal of midstream common and preferred units (including amounts reported in discontinued operations), net gain associated with the consummation of the merger between Enable Midstream Partners, LP and Energy Transfer LP, a corresponding amount of debt related to midstream common and preferred units, and an allocation of associated corporate overhead
  • Cost associated with the early extinguishment of debt
  • Impacts associated with Arkansas and Oklahoma gas LDC sales
  • Certain impacts associated with other mergers and divestitures

2022 non-GAAP EPS guidance range

Beginning in 2022, CenterPoint no longer separates utility and midstream operations and will report on a consolidated non-GAAP EPS basis.

• 2022 non-GAAP EPS guidance excludes:
  • Earnings or losses from the change in value of ZENS and related securities
  • Gain and impact, including related expenses, associated with mergers and divestitures, primarily the Arkansas and Oklahoma gas LDC sales
  • Income and expense related to ownership and disposal of Energy Transfer common and Series G preferred units, and a corresponding amount of debt related to the units

In providing 2022 non-GAAP EPS guidance, CenterPoint does not consider the items noted above and other potential impacts such as changes in accounting standards, impairments, or other unusual items, which could have a material impact on GAAP reported results for the applicable guidance period. The 2022 non-GAAP EPS guidance range also considers assumptions for certain significant variables that may impact earnings, such as customer growth and usage including normal weather, throughput, recovery of capital invested, effective tax rates, financing activities and related interest rates, and regulatory and judicial proceedings. To the extent actual results deviate from these assumptions, the 2022 non-GAAP EPS guidance range may not be met, or the projected annual non-GAAP EPS growth rate may change. CenterPoint is unable to present a quantitative reconciliation of forward-looking non-GAAP diluted earnings per share because changes in the value of ZENS and related securities, future impairments, and other unusual items are not estimable and are difficult to predict due to various factors outside of management’s control.

Reconciliation of Consolidated income (loss) available to common shareholders and diluted earnings (loss) per share (GAAP) to non-GAAP income and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share

Reconciliation of Consolidated income (loss) available to common shareholders and diluted earnings (loss) per share (GAAP) to non-GAAP income and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share

Filing of Form 10-Q for CenterPoint Energy, Inc.

Today, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2022. A copy of that report is available on the company’s website, under the Investors section. Investors and others should note that we may announce material information using SEC filings, press releases, public conference calls, webcasts, and the Investor Relations page of our website. In the future, we will continue to use these channels to distribute material information about the company and to communicate important information about the company, key personnel, corporate initiatives, regulatory updates and other matters. Information that we post on our website could be deemed material; therefore, we encourage investors, the media, our customers, business partners and others interested in our company to review the information we post on our website.

Webcast of Earnings Conference Call

CenterPoint’s management will host an earnings conference call on August 2, 2022, at 7:00 a.m. Central time / 8:00 a.m. Eastern time. Interested parties may listen to a live audio broadcast of the conference call on the company’s website under the Investors section. A replay of the call can be accessed approximately two hours after the completion of the call and will be archived on the website for at least one year.

About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.

As the only investor owned electric and gas utility based in Texas, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is an energy delivery company with electric transmission and distribution, power generation and natural gas distribution operations that serve more than 7 million metered customers in Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio and Texas. As of June 30, 2022, the company owned approximately $35 billion in assets. With approximately 8,900 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.

Forward-looking Statements

This news release includes, and the earnings conference call will include forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this news release, the words "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "goal," "intend," "may," "objective," "plan," "potential," "predict," "projection," "should," "target," "will" or other similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions of management which are believed to be reasonable at the time made and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual events and results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements in this news release or on the earnings conference call include statements regarding capital investments (including with respect to expected updates to our 10-year capital plan, renewables projects, mobile generation spend and the City of Houston’s Master Energy Plan and Resilient Now), the impacts of the February 2021 winter storm event on our business and service territories, the recovery and timing of recovery of associated gas costs and related litigation, future earnings and guidance, including long-term growth rate, operations and maintenance expense reductions, financing plans (including the timing of any future equity issuances, securitization, credit metrics and parent level debt), the impact of disruptions to the global supply chain on our business, including our generation transition plan, ZENS and impacts of the maturity of ZENS, tax planning opportunities (such as any potential use of the repairs expense deduction), future financial performance and results of operations, including with respect to regulatory actions and recoverability of capital investments, customer rate affordability, value creation, opportunities and expectations, ESG strategy, including transition to Net Zero, and any other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement contained in this news release or discussed on the earnings conference call speaks only as of the date of this release or the earnings conference call.

Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the provided forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties relating to: (1) CenterPoint’s business strategies and strategic initiatives, restructurings, joint ventures and acquisitions or dispositions of assets or businesses, including the completed sale of our Natural Gas businesses in Arkansas and Oklahoma, the exit from midstream and the internal restructuring of certain subsidiaries, which we cannot assure you will have the anticipated benefits to us; (2) industrial, commercial and residential growth in CenterPoint’s service territories and changes in market demand; (3) CenterPoint’s ability to fund and invest planned capital, and the timely recovery of its investments; (4) financial market and general economic conditions, including access to debt and equity capital and the effect on sales, prices and costs; (5) continued disruptions to the global supply chain and increases in commodity prices; (6) actions by credit rating agencies, including any potential downgrades to credit ratings; (7) the timing and impact of regulatory proceedings and actions and legal proceedings, including those related to Houston Electric’s mobile generation and the February 2021 winter storm event; (8) legislative decisions, including tax and developments related to the environment such as global climate change, air emissions, carbon, waste water discharges and the handling of coal combustion residuals, among others, and CenterPoint’s Net Zero and carbon emissions reduction goals; (9) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; (10) the recording of impairment charges; (11) weather variations and CenterPoint’s ability to mitigate weather impacts, including impacts from the February 2021 winter storm event; (12) changes in business plans; (13) CenterPoint’s ability to execute on its initiatives, targets and goals, including its Net Zero and carbon emissions reduction goals and operations and maintenance goals; and (14) other factors discussed CenterPoint’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 and CenterPoint’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2022 and June 30, 2022, including in the “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information” sections of such reports, and other reports CenterPoint or its subsidiaries may file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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