Hawaiian Electric Extends Record Slump With Another 20% Drop

  • Power equipment comes under scrutiny as source of Maui fire
  • Official investigation could take weeks, or months to resolve
Charred apartment complex in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui on Aug. 12.Photographer: Yuki Iwamura/AFP/Getty Images
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Hawaiian Electric Industries, which supplies roughly 95% of the state’s residents with power, traces its roots back to 1891, just a decade after King Kalakaua met Thomas Edison to see the incandescent light bulb. Now, the utility is facing what’s shaping up to be the biggest-ever test over its future.

Relentless selling on Monday wiped more than a $1 billion from the company’s value as the stock plunged by a third in its biggest loss on record. Shares extended the freefall on Tuesday, shedding about 20%, after Hawaiian Electric was cut to junkBloomberg Terminal by S&P Global Ratings.