Entergy Q3 2026 earnings: strong

Entergy, the electricity utility serving Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Orleans and Texas, had a strong third quarter of 2026. Sales rose 14.5% and profit 35% from a year earlier, and earnings per share came in well above what analysts expected. It narrowed its forecast for the year towards the top end. Behind the good quarter is a large building programme that costs far more than the business brings in, so debt and the number of shares keep rising. ¹

Against what analysts expected

Entergy earned $1.98 a share on its adjusted basis, about 16% above the $1.71 analysts expected on average, according to Nasdaq's earnings calendar. ¹²

The strong points

Profit rose to $940 million from $694 million a year earlier, growing much faster than sales, which were up 14.5%. ¹
Earnings per share rose 29% to $1.98, with nothing one-off to strip out this quarter. ¹
Entergy is raising its dividend by 6% to 68 cents a share. ¹

The weak points

Over nine months, spending on construction ran about $2.79 billion ahead of the cash the business made. ¹
Total debt rose to $34.9 billion from $30.6 billion a year earlier. ¹
Losses at the parent company grew by $22 million, mainly because of higher interest costs. ¹

What the company expects

Entergy now expects 2026 adjusted earnings per share of $4.35 to $4.45, narrowing the $4.25 to $4.45 range it gave in July towards the top end. ¹
Regulators approved a $1.2 billion transmission line in Louisiana and a four-year extension of the New Orleans rate plan. ¹

Our verdict on the quarter

A strong report. Profit grew fast and came in well above what analysts expected, and the company narrowed its forecast for the year towards the top end rather than raising it, while its growing debt is the price of that growth.

The results as published

Notes

Entergy's results release, 2 November 2026: sec.gov. ↩
Nasdaq's earnings calendar, 3 November 2026. ↩

Entergy earnings: third quarter 2026