Evergy, Inc. EVRG reported fourth-quarter 2019 operating earnings of 32 cents per share, improving a whopping 300% from the year-ago-quarter’s 8 cents. The upside in earnings was buoyed by positive impact of Evergy Metro and Evergy Missouri West results.Earnings per share in 2019 were $2.89 per share, which was near the upper end of the guided range of $2.80-$3.00.Total RevenuesEvergy’s total revenues came in at $1,131.6 million, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,197.1 million by 5.5%. The top line also dropped 5.7% from the year-ago-quarter’s $1,200 million. Evergy Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Evergy Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Evergy Inc. Quote Highlights of the ReleaseTotal operating expenses in the fourth quarter were $965.8 million, down 8% from the year-ago quarter’s $1,049.7 million owing to lower fuel and purchased power, along with operating and maintenance costs.Interest and related charges in the reported quarter were $96.7 million, up 9.5% from the year-ago level.In 2019, Evergy repurchased 29 million shares. Since the inception of the repurchase program, the company has bought back 45 million shares, as part of its 60-million share repurchase authorization.Financial UpdateCash and cash equivalents as of Dec 31, 2019 were $23.2 million compared with $160.3 million in the corresponding period of 2018.Long-term debt as of Dec 31, 2019 was $8,746.7 million compared with $6,636.3 million in the comparable period of 2018.Cash from operating activities in 2019 was $1,749 million compared with $1,497.8 million in 2018.GuidanceEvergy is increasing its five-year investment plan to $7.6 billion through 2024 versus the prior $6.1-billion five-year plan ending 2023.Zacks RankCurrently, Evergy has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Recent ReleasesCovanta Holding Corp. CVA reported fourth-quarter 2019 earnings of 9 cents per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 7 cents by 28.6%.Clearway Energy Inc. CWEN reported fourth-quarter 2019 loss of 6 cents per share against the Zacks Consensus Estimate of earnings of 39 cents.NextEra Energy Partners LP’s NEP fourth-quarter 2019 earnings of 50 cents per unit surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 44 cents by 13.6%.Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside?Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana.Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look.See the pot trades we're targeting>>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Covanta Holding Corporation (CVA): Free Stock Analysis Report NextEra Energy Partners, LP (NEP): Free Stock Analysis Report Evergy Inc. (EVRG): Free Stock Analysis Report Clearway Energy, Inc. (CWEN): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research