Constellation Energy rallies as results beat estimates, with Calpine acquisition boosting growth
Shares of Constellation Energy are modestly higher in early trading after the owner of the largest fleet of US nuclear plants reported better-than-expected Q1 results.
The key numbers:
The company also reaffirmed its full-year adjusted operating earnings guidance of $11.00 to $12.00 per share, roughly aligned with the consensus call for $11.53.
Constellation Energy has been racing to meet the voracious power demands of hyperscalers’ data centers, which are central to the AI boom.
This quarter was defined by the finalization of its $16.4 billion Calpine acquisition on January 7, which cemented Constellation’s status as the nation’s largest electricity producer and drove a large year-on-year increase in its sales and operating earnings. To satisfy federal requirements following the merger, the company agreed in March to sell 4.4 gigawatts of natural gas capacity to LS Power for $5 billion.
And as the deal is finalized, Reuters reported that the company is pursuing 1 gigawatt in capacity uprates over the next decade, including a 135-megawatt increase at its Braidwood and Byron Clean Energy Centers in northern Illinois as it prioritizes long-term contracts with hyperscalers.
Investors remain watchful regarding the planned Three Mile Island restart. While central to Constellation’s long-term strategy, recent reports from April 6 suggest that transmission delays and grid bottlenecks could slow the timeline for bringing the plant back online.
Despite today’s earnings beat, the stock has faced some recent volatility, down about 15% year to date.