8-KRegulation FD

AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER CO INC 8-K Report, Regulation FD Disclosure (Mar 19, 2013)

Filed March 19, 2013For Securities:AEP

Summary

This 8-K filing from American Electric Power (AEP) on March 19, 2013, primarily serves to inform investors that the company will be reaffirming its previously issued guidance for fiscal year 2013 operating earnings. During investor meetings scheduled between March 19 and March 25, 2013, AEP management will reiterate its forecast of operating earnings per share in the range of $3.05 to $3.25. This guidance was originally established on February 15, 2013. The company emphasizes its use of "operating earnings," which adjusts GAAP earnings for certain items, as its primary metric for communicating financial performance and outlook to analysts and investors. This approach is also used internally for performance measurement and reporting. The filing also includes a standard disclaimer regarding forward-looking statements and the various factors that could materially impact actual results, a common disclosure in such reports.

Key Highlights

  • 1AEP reaffirming 2013 fiscal year operating earnings guidance of $3.05 to $3.25 per share.
  • 2The reaffirmation will occur during investor meetings from March 19 to March 25, 2013.
  • 3Company management uses 'operating earnings' as a key performance metric, adjusted from GAAP earnings.
  • 4Operating earnings are used for communicating with investors, analysts, and internal performance tracking.
  • 5The filing includes a standard disclaimer about forward-looking statements and potential influencing factors.

Frequently Asked Questions

The main purpose of this 8-K filing is to provide notice to investors that American Electric Power (AEP) management will be reaffirming its previously issued operating earnings guidance for the 2013 fiscal year during upcoming investor meetings.

AEP is reaffirming its guidance for 2013 operating earnings to be in the range of $3.05 to $3.25 per share. This guidance was initially provided on February 15, 2013.

AEP management believes that operating earnings, which are GAAP earnings adjusted for certain items, provide a more meaningful representation of the company's performance. They use this metric as their primary performance measurement when communicating with analysts and investors about their earnings outlook and results, and also for internal performance tracking.

The filing lists numerous potential factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from projections. These include electric load and customer growth, weather conditions, fuel costs and availability, generating capacity performance, regulatory decisions (like rate cases and environmental compliance), new legislation, litigation, economic climate, financial market changes, and changes in commodity prices, among others.