Eversource Energy ES reported first-quarter 2020 operating earnings of $1.15 per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.6%.The bottom line also improved 12.8% year over year. The improvement in earnings was due to strong execution and contribution from the acquired Columbia Gas assets.RevenuesFirst-quarter revenues of $2,825.8 million beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2,641 million by 7%. Total revenues also improved 19% from the year-ago figure of $2,373.7 million.Eversource Energy Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Eversource Energy price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Eversource Energy QuoteHighlights of the ReleaseOperating expenses increased 22.1% year over year to $2,240.3 million. Operating income was up 8.6% from the prior-year quarter to $585.6 million. Interest expenses increased 2.3% to $137.8 million.Net income for the quarter under review was $368 million, up 9.3% from $336.6 million recorded in the year-ago period.Segmental PerformanceElectric Distribution: Earnings from this segment were $93.2 million, down 28.4% from the prior-year quarter. The decline was due to higher storm-related cost, and increased depreciation as well as property tax expenses.Electric Transmission: The segment’s earnings were up 6.8% year over year to $135.4 million. The upside was due to increased investment in Eversource’s transmission facilities.Natural Gas Distribution: This segment’s earnings soared 71.8% from the prior-year quarter to $147.6 million. The year-over-year improvement was due to higher revenues in NSTAR Gas and Yankee Gas as well as contribution from the acquired assets of Columbia Gas in Massachusetts.Water Distribution: Earnings from this segment were $3.6 million, up from $2.1 million in the year-ago quarter.Eversource Parent & Other Companies: The segment’s loss was $13.7 million compared with a loss of $10.1 million in the year-ago quarter.GuidanceEversource expects earnings for 2021 to be at the lower end of the guided range of $3.81-$3.93 per share. The midpoint of management’s earnings guidance is $3.87, which is higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.86 for the year.The company expects capital expenditure for 2021 to be $3.5 billion. Its total capital expenditure for the 2021-2025 time period is expected to be $17 billion, which will assist Eversource to achieve carbon neutral target by 2030.Zacks RankEversource currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Other ReleasesWEC Energy Group WEC reported first-quarter 2021 earnings per share of $1.61, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.47 by 9.5%.FirstEnergy Corporation FE recorded first-quarter 2021 operating earnings of 69 cents per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 68 cents by 1.5%.American Electric Power Co., Inc. AEP reported first-quarter 2021 adjusted earnings per share of $1.15, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.23 by 6.5%.Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2021In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 best buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2021?Last year's 2020 Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio returned gains as high as +386.8%. Now a brand-new portfolio has been handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Don’t miss your chance to get in on these long-term buys.Access Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2021 today >>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 FirstEnergy Corporation (FE): Free Stock Analysis Report American Electric Power Company, Inc. (AEP): Free Stock Analysis Report WEC Energy Group, Inc. (WEC): Free Stock Analysis Report Eversource Energy (ES): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research