Evergy, Inc. EVRG reported third-quarter 2020 operating earnings of $1.73 per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.65 by 4.8%. The reported earnings were up 10.2% year over year due to higher residential demand, and lower operation and maintenance expenses, courtesy of persistent cost management as well as fewer shares outstanding. GAAP earnings for the reported quarter were $1.60 compared with $1.56 in the year-ago period.Total RevenuesEvergy’s total revenues came in at $1,517.6 million, reflecting a decline of 3.8% from the year-ago-quarter’s $1,577.6 million.Evergy Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Evergy Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Evergy Inc. QuoteHighlights of the ReleaseTotal operating expenses were $995.9 million, down 4.1% from the year-ago quarter’s $1,038.9 million owing to lower fuel and purchased power, along with operating and maintenance costs.Interest expenses for the reported quarter were $94.8 million, up 4.4% from the year-ago level.Evergy, through the Sustainability Transformation Plan, is likely to make capital investment of $8.9 billion in the 2020-2024 time period, and reduce operation as well as maintenance expenses by $330 million through 2024 by effective cost management. Through this plan, the company is targeting dividend growth to be in line with earnings growth, with a payout range of 60-70%.Financial UpdateCash and cash equivalents as of Sep 30, 2020 were $361.6 million compared with $23.2 million at 2019-end.Long-term debt as of Sep 30, 2020 was $9,276.4 million compared with $8,746.7 million at 2019-end.Cash from operating activities for the first nine months of 2020 was $1,421.7 million compared with $1,447.3 million in the prior-year comparable period.GuidanceEvergy narrowed its 2020 operating earnings per share guidance to the range of $2.95-$3.10 from the prior expectation of $2.90-$3.10.Zacks RankCurrently, Evergy has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Recent ReleasesNextEra Energy, Inc. NEE reported third-quarter 2020 adjusted earnings of $2.66 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.65 by 0.4%.Exelon Corporation’s EXC third-quarter 2020 operating earnings of $1.04 per share surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 87 cents by 19.5%.Southern Company SO reported third-quarter 2020 earnings per share of $1.22, marginally missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.24.These Stocks Are Poised to Soar Past the PandemicThe COVID-19 outbreak has shifted consumer behavior dramatically, and a handful of high-tech companies have stepped up to keep America running. Right now, investors in these companies have a shot at serious profits. For example, Zoom jumped 108.5% in less than 4 months while most other stocks were sinking.Our research shows that 5 cutting-edge stocks could skyrocket from the exponential increase in demand for “stay at home” technologies. This could be one of the biggest buying opportunities of this decade, especially for those who get in early.See the 5 high-tech stocks now>>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 Southern Company The (SO): Free Stock Analysis Report Exelon Corporation (EXC): Free Stock Analysis Report NextEra Energy, Inc. (NEE): Free Stock Analysis Report Evergy Inc. (EVRG): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.