COMMON SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY AND NONCONTROLLING INTERESTS

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Equity [Abstract]

COMMON SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY AND NONCONTROLLING INTERESTS

COMMON SHARES

The following table sets forth the Eversource parent common shares and the shares of common stock of CL&P, NSTAR Electric and PSNH that were authorized and issued, as well as the respective per share par values:  

	Shares
			Authorized as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019	Issued as of
	Par Value			March 31, 2020	December 31, 2019
Eversource	$	5	380,000,000	351,818,402	345,858,402
CL&P	$	10	24,500,000	6,035,205	6,035,205
NSTAR Electric	$	1	100,000,000	200	200
PSNH	$	1	100,000,000	301	301

Common Share Issuance and Forward Sale Agreement: In June 2019, Eversource completed an equity offering consisting of 5,980,000 common shares issued directly by the Company and 11,960,000 common shares issuable pursuant to a forward sale agreement with an investment bank. Under the forward sale agreement, 11,960,000 common shares were borrowed from third parties and sold by the underwriters. The forward sale agreement allowed Eversource, at its election and prior to May 29, 2020, to physically settle the forward sale agreement by issuing common shares in exchange for net proceeds at the then-applicable forward sale price specified by the agreement (initially, $71.48 per share) or, alternatively, to settle the forward sale agreement in whole or in part through the delivery or receipt of shares or cash. The forward sale price was subject to adjustment daily based on a floating interest rate factor and would decrease in respect of certain fixed amounts specified in the agreement, such as dividends.

Eversource previously issued 6,000,000 common shares under the forward sale agreement in December 2019. On March 23, 2020, Eversource physically settled a portion of the forward sale agreement by delivering 1,500,000 common shares in exchange for net proceeds of $105.7 million. Subsequently, on March 26, 2020, Eversource physically settled the remaining portion of the forward sale agreement by delivering 4,460,000 common shares in exchange for net proceeds of $314.1 million. The forward sale price used to determine the cash proceeds received by Eversource was calculated based on the initial forward sale price of $71.48 per share, as adjusted in accordance with the forward sale agreement.

The 2020 issuances of 5,960,000 common shares resulted in proceeds of $419.8 million, net of issuance costs, and were reflected in shareholders' equity and as financing activities on the statement of cash flows.

Issuances of shares under the forward sale agreement are classified as equity transactions. Accordingly, no amounts relating to the forward sale agreement were recorded in the financial statements until settlements took place. Prior to any settlements, the only impact to the financial statements was the inclusion of incremental shares within the calculation of diluted EPS using the treasury stock method. See Note 14, "Earnings Per Share," to the financial statements for information on the forward sale agreement’s impact on the calculation of diluted EPS.

Eversource used the net proceeds received upon the direct issuance of common shares and the net proceeds received upon settlement of the forward sale agreement to repay short-term debt under the commercial paper program, to fund capital spending and clean energy initiatives, and for general corporate purposes.

Treasury Shares: As of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, there were 15,407,215 and 15,977,757 Eversource common shares held as treasury shares, respectively. As of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, Eversource common shares outstanding were 336,411,187 and 329,880,645, respectively.

Eversource issues treasury shares to satisfy awards under the Company's incentive plans, shares issued under the dividend reinvestment and share purchase plan, and matching contributions under the Eversource 401k Plan. The issuance of treasury shares represents a non-cash transaction, as the treasury shares were used to fulfill Eversource's obligations that require the issuance of common shares.COMMON SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY AND NONCONTROLLING INTERESTS

Dividends on the preferred stock of CL&P and NSTAR Electric totaled $1.9 million for each of the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019. These dividends were presented as Net Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests on the Eversource statements of income. Noncontrolling Interest – Preferred Stock of Subsidiaries on the Eversource balance sheets totaled $155.6 million as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019. On the Eversource balance sheets, Common Shareholders' Equity was fully attributable to Eversource parent and Noncontrolling Interest – Preferred Stock of Subsidiaries was fully attributable to the noncontrolling interest.