8-KRegulation FD

AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER CO INC 8-K Report, Regulation FD Disclosure (Sep 2, 2015)

Filed September 2, 2015For Securities:AEP

Summary

This 8-K filing by American Electric Power Company, Inc. (AEP) on September 2, 2015, primarily serves as a notification that management will be reaffirming its previously issued full-year 2015 operating earnings guidance. During investor meetings scheduled between September 2 and September 16, 2015, AEP will reiterate its forecast of operating earnings per share to be in the range of $3.50 to $3.65. The company emphasizes its use of operating earnings, which are GAAP earnings adjusted for certain items, as its preferred metric for communicating financial performance and outlook to investors and analysts. This guidance was initially established in a prior 8-K filing on July 23, 2015. The filing also includes a comprehensive list of forward-looking statements and risk factors that could potentially impact actual results, covering a broad spectrum of operational, regulatory, economic, and market-related uncertainties.

Key Highlights

  • 1AEP reaffirms its 2015 full-year operating earnings per share guidance of $3.50 to $3.65.
  • 2The reaffirmation of guidance will occur during investor meetings scheduled from September 2 to September 16, 2015.
  • 3AEP considers 'operating earnings' (adjusted GAAP earnings) as its primary performance measurement for investor communications.
  • 4The company's management uses operating earnings internally for performance tracking and reporting to the Board of Directors.
  • 5The filing includes a detailed list of potential risk factors that could affect future financial results, as per SEC regulations for forward-looking statements.

Frequently Asked Questions

The main purpose of this 8-K filing is to formally notify investors and the public that American Electric Power Company, Inc. (AEP) will be reaffirming its previously issued guidance for operating earnings per share for the fiscal year 2015 during upcoming investor meetings.

AEP is reaffirming its previously issued guidance for operating earnings per share for the full fiscal year 2015 to be in the range of $3.50 to $3.65.

AEP management believes that operating earnings, which are GAAP earnings adjusted for certain items, provide a more meaningful representation of the company's performance and are the primary metric used when communicating its earnings outlook and results to analysts and investors. It is also used internally for performance measurement.

The filing lists numerous risk factors, including electric load and customer growth, weather conditions, fuel costs and availability, generating capacity performance, regulatory recovery of costs, new legislation and regulations (especially environmental), litigation, operational cost control, asset sales, economic conditions in service territories, financial market changes, and changes in commodity prices. These factors could cause actual results to differ materially from projections.