Questar Q4 Results Miss Estimates; FY Outlook Weak

(RTTNews) - Natural gas company Questar Corp (STR) on Wednesday reported fourth-quarter net earnings of $62.5 million or $0.35 per share compared with $68 million or $0.39 per share last year.

The company's revenues for the quarter were lower at $373.2 million compared with $397.9 million in the prior year.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters estimated earnings of $0.38 per share on revenues of $410.2 million for the quarter. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.

For the full year 2015, the company expects earnings of $1.20 to $1.30 per share and capital expenditures of $370 million.

Analysts expect earnings of $1.33 per share for 2015.

The company warned of challenges in 2015. The plunge in commodity prices in recent months could affect its Wexpro subsidiary's near-term ability to invest development capital in new wells that, under the terms of the Wexpro II Agreement, must be able to produce cost-of-service gas that is price-competitive with the natural gas forward price curve.

Also the company said lower gas prices would continue to make it difficult for Questar Pipeline to grow earnings in the short run due to the lack of meaningful opportunities to build new pipelines, gas storage, gathering systems and processing facilities.