Cover and table of contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2021

OR

For the transition period from ______ to ______

Commission file number: 001-34028

AMERICAN WATER WORKS COMPANY, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

1 Water Street, Camden, NJ 08102-1658

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

(856) 955-4001

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. ☒ Yes ☐ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). ☒ Yes ☐ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.). ☐ Yes ☒ No

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the registrant’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Throughout this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (“Form 10-Q”), unless the context otherwise requires, references to the “Company” and “American Water” mean American Water Works Company, Inc. and all of its subsidiaries, taken together as a whole. References to the “parent company” mean American Water Works Company, Inc., without its subsidiaries.

i

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Statements included in Part I, Item 2—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and in other sections of this Form 10-Q are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, these forward-looking statements can be identified by words with prospective meanings such as “intend,” “plan,” “estimate,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “predict,” “project,” “propose,” “assume,” “forecast,” “likely,” “uncertain,” “outlook,” “future,” “pending,” “goal,” “objective,” “potential,” “continue,” “seek to,” “may,” “can,” “should,” “will” and “could” or the negative of such terms or other variations or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements may relate to, among other things: the Company’s future financial performance, liquidity and cash flows; the timing and amount of rate and revenue adjustments, including through general rate case filings, filings for infrastructure surcharges and other governmental agency authorizations and proceedings, and filings to address regulatory lag; the Company’s growth and portfolio optimization strategies, including the timing and outcome of pending or future acquisition activity; the ability to complete the announced sales of the Company’s New York subsidiary and its Homeowner Services Group (“HOS”) (including the ability to obtain required regulatory approvals and required consents), the accounting, financial and other impacts of each of these transactions (including impacts on the Company’s current and short- and long-term expectations, guidance and plans with respect to its current and future debt and equity capital needs, capital expenditures, dividends, earnings, earnings per share, growth, future regulatory outcomes, rate base growth, and other financial and operational plans), the amount and timing of proceeds anticipated to be received therefrom, and the ability to achieve the Company’s regulatory and other strategies, benefits, plans and goals related to the transactions; the ability of the Company’s California subsidiary to obtain adequate alternative water supplies in lieu of diversions from the Carmel River and to comply with certain regulatory orders and interpretations thereof with respect to such diversions; the amount and allocation of projected capital expenditures and related funding requirements; the Company’s ability to repay or refinance debt; the ability to execute its current and long-term business, operational and capital expenditures strategies; its ability to finance current operations, capital expenditures and growth initiatives by accessing the debt and equity capital markets; the outcome and impact on the Company of governmental and regulatory investigations and proceedings and related potential fines, penalties and other sanctions; the ability to complete, and the timing and efficacy of, the design, development, implementation and improvement of technology and other strategic initiatives; the impacts to the Company of the pandemic health event resulting from COVID-19; the ability to capitalize on existing or future utility privatization opportunities; trends in the industries in which the Company operates, including macro trends with respect to the Company’s efforts related to customer, technology and work execution; regulatory, legislative, tax policy or legal developments; and impacts that future significant tax legislation may have on the Company and on its business, results of operations, cash flows and liquidity.

Forward-looking statements are predictions based on the Company’s current expectations and assumptions regarding future events. They are not guarantees or assurances of any outcomes, financial results, levels of activity, performance or achievements, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon them. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of estimates, assumptions, known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. The Company’s actual results may vary materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements included herein as a result of the following important factors:

• the decisions of governmental and regulatory bodies, including decisions to raise or lower customer rates and regulatory responses to the COVID-19 pandemic;

• the timeliness and outcome of regulatory commissions’ and other authorities’ actions concerning rates, capital structure, authorized return on equity, capital investment, system acquisitions and dispositions, taxes, permitting, water supply and management, and other decisions;

• changes in customer demand for, and patterns of use of, water, such as may result from conservation efforts, impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, or otherwise;

• limitations on the availability of the Company’s water supplies or sources of water, or restrictions on its use thereof, resulting from allocation rights, governmental or regulatory requirements and restrictions, drought, overuse or other factors;

• a loss of one or more large industrial or commercial customers due to adverse economic conditions, the COVID-19 pandemic, or other factors;

• changes in laws, governmental regulations and policies, including with respect to the environment, health and safety, consumer and data privacy, water quality and water quality accountability, contaminants of emerging concern, public utility and tax regulations and policies, and impacts resulting from U.S., state and local elections and changes in federal, state and local executive administrations;

• weather conditions and events, climate variability patterns, and natural disasters, including drought or abnormally high rainfall, prolonged and abnormal ice or freezing conditions, strong winds, coastal and intercoastal flooding, pandemics (including COVID-19) and epidemics, earthquakes, landslides, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, electrical storms, sinkholes and solar flares;

• the outcome of litigation and similar governmental and regulatory proceedings, investigations or actions;

• the risks associated with the Company’s aging infrastructure, and its ability to appropriately improve the resiliency of, or maintain and replace, current or future infrastructure and systems, including its technology and other assets, and manage the expansion of its businesses;

• exposure or infiltration of the Company’s technology and critical infrastructure systems, including the disclosure of sensitive, personal or confidential information contained therein, through physical or cyber attacks or other means;

• the Company’s ability to obtain permits and other approvals for projects and construction of various water and wastewater facilities;

• changes in the Company’s capital requirements;

• the Company’s ability to control operating expenses and to achieve operating efficiencies;

• the intentional or unintentional actions of a third party, including contamination of the Company’s water supplies or the water provided to its customers;

• the Company’s ability to obtain adequate and cost-effective supplies of equipment (including personal protective equipment), chemicals, electricity, fuel, water and other raw materials;

• the Company’s ability to successfully meet growth projections for the Regulated Businesses and the Market-Based Businesses (each as defined in this Form 10-Q), either individually or in the aggregate, and capitalize on growth opportunities, including, among other things, with respect to:

• acquiring, closing and successfully integrating regulated operations and market-based businesses;

• entering into contracts and other agreements with, or otherwise obtaining, new customers or partnerships in the Market-Based Businesses; and

• realizing anticipated benefits and synergies from new acquisitions;

• risks and uncertainties associated with the Company’s potential sale of HOS, including:

• the ability to obtain the expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (the “HSR Act”)), and other required consents, and to make timely all required closing deliveries;

• closing and post-closing adjustments to the consideration to be received in the transaction, as well as the tax impacts thereof;

• the Company’s ability to receive any contingent consideration provided for in the transaction, as well as amounts due, payable and owing to the Company from time to time under the seller note to be issued pursuant thereto;

• the ability to redeploy successfully and timely the net proceeds of the transaction into the Company’s Regulated Businesses;

• unexpected costs, liabilities or delays associated with this transaction; and

• regulatory, legislative, local or municipal actions affecting the home warranty services and the water and wastewater industries;

• risks and uncertainties associated with contracting with the U.S. government, including ongoing compliance with applicable government procurement and security regulations;

• cost overruns relating to improvements in or the expansion of the Company’s operations;

• the Company’s ability to successfully develop and implement new technologies and to protect related intellectual property;

• the Company’s ability to maintain safe work sites;

• the Company’s exposure to liabilities related to environmental laws and similar matters resulting from, among other things, water and wastewater service provided to customers;

• changes in general economic, political, business and financial market conditions, including without limitation conditions and collateral consequences associated with the COVID-19 pandemic health event;

• access to sufficient debt and/or equity capital on satisfactory terms and when and as needed to support operations and capital expenditures;

• fluctuations in interest rates;

• the ability to comply with affirmative or negative covenants in the current or future indebtedness of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or the issuance of new or modified credit ratings or outlooks or other communications by credit rating agencies with respect to the Company or any of its subsidiaries (or any current or future indebtedness thereof), which could increase financing costs or funding requirements and affect the Company’s or its subsidiaries’ ability to issue, repay or redeem debt, pay dividends or make distributions;

• fluctuations in the value of benefit plan assets and liabilities that could increase the Company’s cost and funding requirements;

• changes in federal or state general, income and other tax laws, including (i) future significant tax legislation, (ii) further rules, regulations, interpretations and guidance by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and state or local taxing authorities related to the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “TCJA”), (iii) the availability of, or the Company’s compliance with, the terms of applicable tax credits and tax abatement programs, and (iv) the Company’s ability to utilize its U.S. federal and state income tax net operating loss carryforwards;

• migration of customers into or out of the Company’s service territories;

• the use by municipalities of the power of eminent domain or other authority to condemn the systems of one or more of the Company’s utility subsidiaries, or the assertion by private landowners of similar rights against such utility subsidiaries;

• any difficulty or inability to obtain insurance for the Company, its inability to obtain insurance at acceptable rates and on acceptable terms and conditions, or its inability to obtain reimbursement under existing or future insurance programs and coverages for any losses sustained;

• the incurrence of impairment charges related to the Company’s goodwill or other assets;

• labor actions, including work stoppages and strikes;

• the Company’s ability to retain and attract qualified employees;

• civil disturbances or unrest, or terrorist threats or acts, or public apprehension about future disturbances, unrest, or terrorist threats or acts; and

• the impact of new, and changes to existing, accounting standards.

These forward-looking statements are qualified by, and should be read together with, the risks and uncertainties set forth above, and the risk factors and other statements contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 (the “Form 10-K”) and in this Form 10-Q, and readers should refer to such risks, uncertainties and risk factors in evaluating such forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements the Company makes shall speak only as of the date this Form 10-Q was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Except as required by the federal securities laws, the Company does not have any obligation, and it specifically disclaims any undertaking or intention, to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict all such factors. Furthermore, it may not be possible to assess the impact of any such factor on the Company’s businesses, either viewed independently or together, or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. The foregoing factors should not be construed as exhaustive.

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION