Been looking at Evergy lately and there's actually something interesting happening with this utility stock that most people probably overlook. Data centers are booming in Kansas and Missouri, and that's been driving real growth for the company.

So here's what caught my attention. Wall Street was expecting Evergy to pull in around $1.43 billion in Q4 revenue, which would be a 58.4% jump year-over-year. Pretty solid for a power company. The earnings estimates were even more impressive - analysts were looking for $0.55 per share adjusted earnings, up 57.1% from the prior year. The company itself guided to $3.92-$4.02 for full-year 2025 adjusted earnings, which actually suggested they could beat the consensus by a penny.

But here's where it gets interesting. Evergy's track record of hitting expectations is honestly kind of spotty. They actually came in below expectations in three of the last four quarters. So even though the numbers looked good on paper, there was real uncertainty about execution.

What really stood out to me though was what CEO David Campbell said. He specifically mentioned they were "excited to share our updated growth outlook" for 2026 and beyond. That kind of language usually signals something positive brewing.

Now, the stock had already moved up pretty hard after the company filed for rate increases in Missouri, so the upside from just buying before the earnings call wasn't necessarily huge. The consensus price target was only about 2% higher than where it was trading.

My take? If you're looking at Evergy as a stock to hold long-term for dividends and steady growth from data center demand, the timing of when you buy probably matters less than people think. Whether you grab it before or after the quarterly update, you're investing in a company with real tailwinds from infrastructure buildout. That's the kind of stock that rewards patience more than perfect timing.