ONE Gas, Inc. Provides Earnings Guidance for the Year 2015, 2016 and 2015 to 2020
January 19, 2016 at 04:05 pm
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ONE Gas, Inc. provides earnings guidance for the year 2015 and 2016. For the year 2015, the company expects 2015 net income to be in the range of $118 million to $120 million due primarily to lower operating expenses. The previous guidance range of $113 million to $118 million.
For the year 2016, the company announced that its 2016 net income is expected to be in the range of $127 million to $137 million, or approximately $2.40 to $2.60 per diluted share. The midpoint for ONE Gas' 2016 net income guidance is $132 million, or $2.50 per diluted share. ONE Gas' 2016 earnings guidance primarily reflects the benefit of new rates and residential customer growth in Texas and Oklahoma. These benefits are offset partially by higher employee-related costs and higher depreciation expense due to capital investments.
The company expects net income and earnings per share to increase by an average of 5% to 8% annually between 2015 and 2020. ONE Gas' rate base is expected to grow an average of approximately 5% per year between 2015 and 2020. The impact of bonus depreciation from the recently enacted federal legislation has been reflected in this guidance. Capital expenditures are expected to be in the range of $305 million to $325 million per year between 2016 and 2020. ONE Gas is increasing its expected average annual dividend growth rate to 8% to 10% between 2015 and 2020, compared with the previous estimated range of 6% to 8% between 2014 and 2019, with a target dividend payout ratio of 55% to 65% of net income, all subject to its board of directors' approval.
ONE Gas, Inc. is a regulated natural gas distribution utility in the United States. The Company operates through a single segment, regulated public utilities, which delivers natural gas to residential, commercial and transportation customers. The Company provides natural gas distribution services to approximately 2.3 million customers. The Company has three divisions: Oklahoma Natural Gas, Kansas Gas Service and Texas Gas Service. It primarily serves residential, commercial and transportation customers in all three states. The Companyâs natural gas distribution markets in terms of customers are Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma; Kansas City, Wichita and Topeka, Kansas; and Austin and El Paso, Texas. It distributes natural gas to approximately 89%, 71% and 13% of the natural gas distribution customers in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas, respectively.