With a market cap of $15.9 billion, Kansas City, Missouri-based Evergy, Inc. (EVRG) is a leading provider of clean, safe, and reliable energy in Kansas and Missouri through its subsidiaries, Kansas City Power & Light Company and Westar Energy Inc. It engages in the generation, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity across the United States.
Companies valued at $10 billion or more are generally considered “large-cap” stocks, and Evergy fits this criterion perfectly. Evergy generates electricity from a diverse mix of sources, including coal, natural gas, oil, uranium, solar, wind, landfill gas, and other renewables, serving residential, commercial, industrial, municipal, and utility customers.
However, the electric utility company has fallen 1.4% from its 52-week high of $69.93. Evergy shares have risen 11.8% over the past three months, outperforming the broader Nasdaq Composite's ($NASX) 12.3% decline during the same period.
Longer term, EVRG stock has gained 12% on a YTD basis, outpacing NASX's 10.4% decrease over the same period. In addition, Evergy has surged 29.2% over the past 52 weeks, compared to NASX's 5.6% return.
EVRG has mostly traded above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages since last year.
Shares of Evergy fell marginally on Feb. 27 due to the company’s Q4 2024 adjusted EPS of $0.35, which missed the consensus estimate. While the company reported a 29.6% year-over-year increase in EPS, mild weather, higher depreciation, and increased operating and interest expenses partially offset favorable factors such as new retail rates and growth in weather-normalized demand.
Additionally, the reaffirmed 2025 EPS guidance of $3.92 - $4.12, slightly below market expectations, contributed to the marginal decline in shares.
Nevertheless, in contrast, rival NextEra Energy, Inc. (NEE) has underperformed EVRG, gaining 10.9% over the past 52 weeks and declining over 1.1% on a YTD basis.
Despite Evergy's outperformance over the past year, analysts remain cautiously optimistic about its prospects. Among the 13 analysts covering the stock, there is a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy,” and it is currently trading below the mean price target of $71.25.
On the date of publication, Sohini Mondal did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.
