greeksoup/ stock research

Constellation Energy Corp.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 9 November 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 raised, 3 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • GAAP earnings per share rose: GAAP net income per share was $5.19 in the third quarter, up from $2.97 in the third quarter of 2025. Source
  • Market conditions and Calpine lifted earnings: Adjusted results primarily reflected favorable market and portfolio conditions and the addition of Calpine, partly offset by unfavorable interest and nuclear PTC portfolio. Source
  • Google 2,700 MW load agreement: A 15-year financial energy load following agreement with Google covers 2,700 MW in PJM. Source
  • Peak+ integrated product debuts: Peak+ bundles new capacity, including generation and demand response, with energy products; this first deal runs 20 years from 2028. Source
  • Operating cash flow rose: Net cash from operating activities was $4,979 million in the first nine months of 2026, against $3,432 million a year earlier. Source
  • Rhode Island plant purchase agreed: The company agreed to buy RISEC Holdings, owner of the 609 MW gas-fired Rhode Island State Energy Center from Shell Energy North America, for $715 million. Source
  • DOE loan has 30-year term: The conditional DOE loan has a 30-year term, with interest fixed at each advance at 0.375% above comparable U.S. Treasuries. Source

“Third quarter adjusted operating earnings were $5.06 per share, compared with $3.04 a year ago.”

Shane Smith, executive vice president and chief financial officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Adjusted (non-GAAP) Operating Earnings per share Sourcefull year$12.50 - $12.80 per shareRaised from $11.50 - $12.50 per share
Calvert Cliffs capacity expansion Source2030 to 2032190 MWNew
Google PPA nuclear capacity Sourcefirst uprate in 2028approximately 890 MWNew
Peak+ nuclear agreement Sourcebegins 2028, 20-year term270 MWNew

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance raised: Full-year adjusted operating earnings guidance midpoint raised, and the range narrowed, for the second time this year. Source
  • New: Agreement signed to acquire the Rhode Island State Energy Center, a 609 MW gas-fired plant in ISO New England. Source
  • New: Long-term agreement with Amazon supporting investment and expansion at Calvert Cliffs, announced in September 2026. Source
  • New: Long-term collaboration with Google for new nuclear capacity, announced in October 2026. Source
  • New: Conditional loan commitment from the DOE Office of Energy Dominance Financing, signed in October 2026. Source
  • New: New 20-year Peak+ agreement, the first Peak+ transaction, combining new capacity with energy products. Source

Third quarter results and drivers

  • GAAP earnings per share rose: GAAP net income per share was $5.19 in the third quarter, up from $2.97 in the third quarter of 2025. Source
  • Adjusted operating EPS reached $5.06: Adjusted operating earnings were $5.06 per share in the third quarter, against $3.04 a year earlier, on the company's non-GAAP measure. Source
  • Market conditions and Calpine lifted earnings: Adjusted results primarily reflected favorable market and portfolio conditions and the addition of Calpine, partly offset by unfavorable interest and nuclear PTC portfolio. Source
  • Nine-month EPS was $11.06: Nine-month GAAP basic and diluted earnings per share were $11.06, against $6.02 in the same period of 2025. Source

Generation and fleet operations

  • Nuclear output edged up: Owned nuclear output, including Salem and STP, was 46,677 GWh in the third quarter, compared with 46,477 GWh a year earlier. Source
  • Nuclear capacity factor improved: Excluding Salem and STP, nuclear capacity factor at ownership was 97.2%, against 96.8% a year earlier. Source
  • Calpine lifted gas and oil volumes: Natural gas, oil and renewables output was 44,982 GWh in the third quarter, including 38,387 GWh from Calpine, against 6,174 GWh a year earlier. Source
  • Fleet forced outage factor was 5.9%: Equivalent forced outage factor for gas, oil and pumped-storage hydro was 5.9% in the third quarter, against 6.2% in the second quarter. Source
  • Renewable capture eased slightly: Wind, solar and run-of-river hydro capture was 96.4%, against 96.8% a year earlier and 96.0% in the second quarter. Source

“The new megawatts, which are the equivalent of a new large-scale nuclear plant, are coming online with no costs being borne by existing customers”

Joe Dominguez, chairman, president and chief executive officer

Outage days and plant availability

  • Refueling outage days fell: Refueling outage days at operated sites were 20 in the third quarter, against 23 in the same quarter of 2025. Source
  • Non-refueling outage days edged up: Non-refueling outage days at operated sites were 6 in the third quarter, compared with 5 a year earlier. Source
  • Nine-month refueling days rose: Nine-month refueling outage days were 205 in 2026, against 152 in 2025; outage days exclude Salem and STP. Source

Customer contracts and products

  • Google 2,700 MW load agreement: A 15-year financial energy load following agreement with Google covers 2,700 MW in PJM. Source
  • Google PPA covers 11 nuclear units: The Google PPA is set to enable more than $4.3 billion of investment across 11 nuclear units in Illinois, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Source
  • Amazon PPA for 690 MW: A 20-year, 690 MW PPA with Amazon comes with a related retail supply agreement for Amazon's operations in PJM. Source
  • Peak+ integrated product debuts: Peak+ bundles new capacity, including generation and demand response, with energy products; this first deal runs 20 years from 2028. Source

“Our disciplined capital allocation strategy, including accretive organic growth through nuclear uprates, the acquisition of Rhode Island State Energy Center and our continued aggressive pace of share repurchases, positions us to deliver sustained earnings growth.”

Shane Smith, executive vice president and chief financial officer

Costs, tax and market prices

  • Calpine integration costs continued: Calpine merger and integration costs, a reconciling item, were $73 million net of tax in the third quarter, against $28 million a year earlier. Source
  • Operating and maintenance expense rose: Operating and maintenance expense was $1,991 million in the third quarter, against $1,511 million; depreciation and amortization was $454 million, against $241 million. Source
  • GAAP effective tax rate fell: The GAAP effective tax rate was 18.2% in the third quarter, against 33.4% a year earlier. Source
  • PJM West reference price rose: The PJM West reference price was $69.97 in the third quarter, against $46.77 a year earlier; reference prices may not reflect realized prices. Source
  • PJM capacity reference price rose: The PJM Eastern Mid-Atlantic capacity reference price was $329.17 in the third quarter, against $269.92 a year earlier. Source
  • Henry Hub gas reference price eased: The Henry Hub gas reference price was $2.87 in the third quarter, against $3.03 a year earlier. Source

Capital, cash and share repurchases

  • Operating cash flow rose: Net cash from operating activities was $4,979 million in the first nine months of 2026, against $3,432 million a year earlier. Source
  • Capital spending rose: Capital expenditures were $3,461 million in the first nine months, against $1,963 million in the same period of 2025. Source
  • Buybacks and dividends increased: Nine-month share repurchases were $3,001 million, against $400 million, and dividends paid were $459 million, against $365 million. Source
  • Calpine acquisition cash outflow: Cash paid for the Calpine acquisition, net of cash and restricted cash acquired, was $2,537 million in the nine months. Source
  • Long-term debt increased: Long-term debt was $19,039 million at September 30, 2026, against $7,250 million at December 31, 2025. Source
  • Cash balance declined: Cash and cash equivalents were $603 million at September 30, 2026, against $3,641 million at December 31, 2025. Source

Acquisitions and investment plans

  • Rhode Island plant purchase agreed: The company agreed to buy RISEC Holdings, owner of the 609 MW gas-fired Rhode Island State Energy Center from Shell Energy North America, for $715 million. Source
  • DOE loan has 30-year term: The conditional DOE loan has a 30-year term, with interest fixed at each advance at 0.375% above comparable U.S. Treasuries. Source
  • Calvert Cliffs investment above $3 billion: The Amazon agreement is expected to enable more than $3 billion of infrastructure investment at Calvert Cliffs, covering facility improvements. Source

Coming up, as management said on 9 November 2026

  • DOE guarantee awaits loan agreement: The DOE commitment takes effect only after a loan agreement is executed; the DOE would then guarantee up to $5.0 billion. Source
  • Rhode Island plant joins merchant fleet: Completion of the purchase is pending; once complete, the plant is expected to become part of the merchant generation portfolio. Source

Risks management discussed

  • Operational: Calpine integration continues to generate costs that management excludes from adjusted results, tied to completing the merger and integrating operations. Source
  • Regulatory: Closing of the Rhode Island State Energy Center acquisition depends on required regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Source
  • Financial: GAAP results included an unrealized fair value gain of $127 million in the third quarter, against a $94 million loss a year earlier. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management cites a continued aggressive pace of share repurchases as part of its capital allocation approach. Source
  • Not stated: Management said the new megawatts from recent agreements are coming online with no costs borne by existing customers. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.