American Water Works 10-Q 2024-03-31
Filed 2024-05-01. 8 sections, 243K characters. Original on sec.gov · Markdown · JSON
Cover and table of contents
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
(Mark One)
| ☒ | QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2024
OR
| ☐ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
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)
| Delaware | 51-0063696 | ||||
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
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:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||||||||||||
| Common stock, par value $0.01 per share | AWK | New York Stock Exchange |
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.
| Large accelerated filer | ☒ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | Non-accelerated filer | ☐ | ||||||||||||||||||
| Smaller reporting company | ☐ | Emerging growth company | ☐ |
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.
| Class | Shares Outstanding as of April 22, 2024 | ||||||||||||||||
| Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share | 194,822,567 |
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.
The Company maintains a website at https://amwater.com, an Investor Relations website at https://ir.amwater.com, and a Diversity and Inclusion website at https://diversityataw.com. Information contained on the Company’s websites, including its Sustainability Report, its Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Report, and other reports or documents, shall not be deemed incorporated into, or to be a part of, this report, and any website references included herein are not intended to be made through active hyperlinks.
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 ability to execute its current and long-term business, operational, capital expenditures and growth plans and strategies; the timing and outcome of pending or future acquisition activity, and the ability to achieve organic customer growth; the ability of the Company’s California subsidiary to obtain adequate alternative water supplies in lieu of diversions from the Carmel River; the amount, allocation and timing of projected capital expenditures and related funding requirements; the Company’s ability to repay or refinance debt; the future impacts of increased or increasing financing costs, inflation and interest rates; the Company’s ability to finance current and projected operations, capital expenditure needs and growth initiatives by accessing the debt and equity capital markets and sources of short-term liquidity; 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 meet or exceed the Company’s stated environmental and sustainability goals, including its greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emission reduction, water delivery efficiency and water system resiliency goals; the ability to complete, and the timing and efficacy of, the design, development, implementation and improvement of technology and other strategic initiatives; the Company’s ability to comply with new and changing environmental regulations; the ability to capitalize on existing or future utility privatization opportunities; trends in the water and wastewater 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:
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the decisions of governmental and regulatory bodies, including decisions to raise or lower customer rates;
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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;
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changes in customer demand for, and patterns of use of, water and energy, such as may result from conservation efforts, or otherwise;
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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;
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a loss of one or more large industrial or commercial customers due to adverse economic conditions or other factors;
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present and future proposed changes in laws, governmental regulations and policies, including with respect to the environment (such as, for example, potential improvements to existing Federal regulations with respect to lead and copper service lines and galvanized steel pipe), health and safety, data and consumer privacy, security and protection, water quality and water quality accountability, contaminants of emerging concern (including without limitation per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”)), 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;
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the Company’s ability to collect, distribute, use, secure and store consumer data in compliance with current or future governmental laws, regulations and policies with respect to data and consumer privacy, security and protection;
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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;
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the outcome of litigation and similar governmental and regulatory proceedings, investigations or actions;
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the risks associated with the Company’s aging infrastructure, and its ability to appropriately improve the resiliency of or maintain, update, redesign and/or replace, current or future infrastructure and systems, including its technology and other assets, and manage the expansion of its businesses;
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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, and impacts from required or voluntary public and other disclosures related thereto;
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the Company’s ability to obtain permits and other approvals for projects and construction, update, redesign and/or replacement of various water and wastewater facilities;
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changes in the Company’s capital requirements;
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the Company’s ability to control operating expenses and to achieve operating efficiencies, and the Company’s ability to create, maintain and promote initiatives and programs that support the affordability of the Company’s regulated utility services;
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the intentional or unintentional actions of a third party, including contamination of the Company’s water supplies or the water provided to its customers;
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the Company’s ability to obtain and have delivered adequate and cost-effective supplies of pipe, equipment (including personal protective equipment), chemicals, power and other fuel, water and other raw materials, and to address or mitigate supply chain constraints that may result in delays or shortages in, as well as increased costs of, supplies, products and materials that are critical to or used in the Company’s business operations;
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the Company’s ability to successfully meet its operational growth projections, either individually or in the aggregate, and capitalize on growth opportunities, including, among other things, with respect to:
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acquiring, closing and successfully integrating regulated operations, including without limitation the Company’s ability to (i) obtain required regulatory approvals for such acquisitions, (ii) prevail in litigation or other challenges related to such acquisitions, and (iii) recover in rates the fair value of assets of the acquired regulated operations;
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the Company’s Military Services Group (“MSG”) entering into new military installation contracts, price redeterminations, and other agreements and contracts with the U.S. government; and
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realizing anticipated benefits and synergies from new acquisitions;
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risks and uncertainties following the completion of the sale of the Company’s Homeowner Services Group (“HOS”), including:
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the Company’s ability to receive amounts due, payable and owing to the Company under the amended secured seller note when due; and
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the ability of the Company to redeploy successfully and timely the net proceeds of this transaction into the Company’s Regulated Businesses;
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risks and uncertainties associated with contracting with the U.S. government, including ongoing compliance with applicable government procurement and security regulations;
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cost overruns relating to improvements in or the expansion of the Company’s operations;
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the Company’s ability to successfully develop and implement new technologies and to protect related intellectual property;
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the Company’s ability to maintain safe work sites;
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the Company’s exposure to liabilities related to environmental laws and regulations, including those enacted or adopted and under consideration, and the substances related thereto, including without limitation lead and galvanized steel, PFAS and other contaminants of emerging concern, and similar matters resulting from, among other things, water and wastewater service provided to customers;
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the ability of energy providers, state governments and other third parties to achieve or fulfill their GHG emission reduction goals, including without limitation through stated renewable portfolio standards and carbon transition plans;
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changes in general economic, political, business and financial market conditions;
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access to sufficient debt and/or equity capital on satisfactory terms and as needed to support operations and capital expenditures;
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fluctuations in inflation or interest rates, and the Company’s ability to address or mitigate the impacts thereof;
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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 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;
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fluctuations in the value of, or assumptions and estimates related to, its benefit plan assets and liabilities, including with respect to its pension and other post-retirement benefit plans, that could increase expenses and plan funding requirements;
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changes in federal or state general, income and other tax laws, including (i) future significant tax legislation or regulations (including without limitation impacts related to the Corporate Alternative Minimum Tax), and (ii) the availability of, or the Company’s compliance with, the terms of applicable tax credits and tax abatement programs;
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migration of customers into or out of the Company’s service territories and changes in water and energy consumption resulting therefrom;
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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, including without limitation litigation and other proceedings with respect to the water system assets of the Company’s California subsidiary (“Cal Am”) located in Monterey, California (the “Monterey system assets”), or the assertion by private landowners of similar rights against such utility subsidiaries;
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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;
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the incurrence of impairment charges, changes in fair value and other adjustments related to the Company’s goodwill or the value of its other assets;
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labor actions, including work stoppages and strikes;
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the Company’s ability to retain and attract highly qualified and skilled employees and/or diverse talent;
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civil disturbances or unrest, or terrorist threats or acts, or public apprehension about future disturbances, unrest, or terrorist threats or acts; and
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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, 2023 (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
Item 1. CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
American Water Works Company, Inc. and Subsidiary Companies
Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited)
(In millions, except share and per share data)
| March 31, 2024 | December 31, 2023 | ||||||||||
| ASSETS | |||||||||||
| Property, plant and equipment | $ | 32,780 | $ | 32,189 | |||||||
| Accumulated depreciation | (6,757) | (6,751) | |||||||||
| Property, plant and equipment, net | 26,023 | 25,438 | |||||||||
| Current assets: | |||||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | 584 | 330 | |||||||||
| Restricted funds | 42 | 34 | |||||||||
| Accounts receivable, net of allowance for uncollectible accounts of $49 and $51, respectively | 323 | 339 | |||||||||
| Income tax receivable | 26 | 86 | |||||||||
| Unbilled revenues | 316 | 302 | |||||||||
| Materials and supplies | 115 | 112 | |||||||||
| Other | 181 | 186 | |||||||||
| Total current assets | 1,587 | 1,389 | |||||||||
| Regulatory and other long-term assets: | |||||||||||
| Regulatory assets | 1,117 | 1,106 | |||||||||
| Secured seller promissory note from the sale of the Homeowner Services Group | 795 | 720 | |||||||||
| Operating lease right-of-use assets | 90 | 86 | |||||||||
| Goodwill | 1,143 | 1,143 | |||||||||
| Other | 331 | 416 | |||||||||
| Total regulatory and other long-term assets | 3,476 | 3,471 | |||||||||
| Total assets | $ | 31,086 | $ | 30,298 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Consolidated Financial Statements.
American Water Works Company, Inc. and Subsidiary Companies
Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited)
(In millions, except share and per share data)
| March 31, 2024 | December 31, 2023 | ||||||||||
| CAPITALIZATION AND LIABILITIES | |||||||||||
| Capitalization: | |||||||||||
| Common stock ($0.01 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized; 200,273,523 and 200,144,968 shares issued, respectively) | $ | 2 | $ | 2 | |||||||
| Paid-in-capital | 8,561 | 8,550 | |||||||||
| Retained earnings | 1,844 | 1,659 | |||||||||
| Accumulated other comprehensive loss | (8) | (26) | |||||||||
| Treasury stock, at cost (5,451,187 and 5,414,867 shares, respectively) | (392) | (388) | |||||||||
| Total common shareholders' equity | 10,007 | 9,797 | |||||||||
| Long-term debt | 12,566 | 11,715 | |||||||||
| Redeemable preferred stock at redemption value | 3 | 3 | |||||||||
| Total long-term debt | 12,569 | 11,718 | |||||||||
| Total capitalization | 22,576 | 21,515 | |||||||||
| Current liabilities: | |||||||||||
| Short-term debt | — | 179 | |||||||||
| Current portion of long-term debt | 557 | 475 | |||||||||
| Accounts payable | 231 | 294 | |||||||||
| Accrued liabilities | 636 | 791 | |||||||||
| Accrued taxes | 89 | 67 | |||||||||
| Accrued interest | 131 | 93 | |||||||||
| Other | 213 | 252 | |||||||||
| Total current liabilities | 1,857 | 2,151 | |||||||||
| Regulatory and other long-term liabilities: | |||||||||||
| Advances for construction | 367 | 352 | |||||||||
| Deferred income taxes and investment tax credits | 2,742 | 2,717 | |||||||||
| Regulatory liabilities | 1,460 | 1,481 | |||||||||
| Operating lease liabilities | 78 | 73 | |||||||||
| Accrued pension expense | 256 | 262 | |||||||||
| Other | 195 | 196 | |||||||||
| Total regulatory and other long-term liabilities | 5,098 | 5,081 | |||||||||
| Contributions in aid of construction | 1,555 | 1,551 | |||||||||
| Commitments and contingencies (See Note 11) | |||||||||||
| Total capitalization and liabilities | $ | 31,086 | $ | 30,298 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Consolidated Financial Statements.
American Water Works Company, Inc. and Subsidiary Companies
Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited)
(In millions, except per share data)
| For the Three Months Ended March 31, | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating revenues | $ | 1,011 | $ | 938 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Operating expenses: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operation and maintenance | 416 | 393 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 188 | 172 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| General taxes | 81 | 78 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses, net | 685 | 643 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating income | 326 | 295 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Other (expense) income: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense | (124) | (115) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Interest income | 24 | 14 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Non-operating benefit costs, net | 9 | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Other, net | 7 | 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Total other (expense) income | (84) | (81) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Income before income taxes | 242 | 214 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Provision for income taxes | 57 | 44 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income attributable to common shareholders | $ | 185 | $ | 170 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Basic earnings per share: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income attributable to common shareholders | $ | 0.95 | $ | 0.91 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Diluted earnings per share: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income attributable to common shareholders | $ | 0.95 | $ | 0.91 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Weighted-average common shares outstanding: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Basic | 195 | 186 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Diluted | 195 | 186 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Consolidated Financial Statements.
American Water Works Company, Inc. and Subsidiary Companies
**Consolidated Statements of Com
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Item 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion should be read together with the unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements and the Notes thereto included elsewhere in this Form 10-Q, and in the Company’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that are based on management’s current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company’s business, operations and financial performance. The cautionary statements made in this Form 10-Q should be read as applying to all related forward-looking statements whenever they appear in this Form 10-Q. The Company’s actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated and expressed in such forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those that are discussed under “Forward-Looking Statements” and elsewhere in this Form 10-Q. The Company has a disclosure committee consisting of members of senior management and other key employees involved in the preparation of the Company’s SEC reports. The disclosure committee is actively involved in the review and discussion of the Company’s SEC filings.
Overview
American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse, publicly traded water and wastewater utility company in the United States, as measured by both operating revenues and population served. The Company’s primary business involves the ownership of utilities that provide water and wastewater services to residential, commercial, industrial, public authority, fire service and sale for resale customers, collectively presented as the “Regulated Businesses.” Services provided by the Company’s utilities are subject to regulation by multiple state utility commissions or other entities engaged in utility regulation, collectively referred to as public utility commissions (“PUCs”). The Company also operates other businesses not subject to economic regulation by state PUCs that provide water and wastewater services to the U.S. government on military installations, as well as municipalities, collectively presented throughout this Form 10-Q within “Other.” See Part I, Item 1—Business in the Company’s Form 10-K for additional information.
Financial Results
For the three months ended March 31, 2024, diluted earnings per share, prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”), were $0.95, an increase of $0.04, as compared to the same period in the prior year. The increase was primarily driven by the implementation of new rates in the Regulated Businesses from its capital and acquisition investments, offset somewhat by increased production and employee related costs, higher financing costs to fund the capital investment plan, including the 2023 equity issuance, and $0.05 per share of net unfavorable one-time items year-over-year. Results for the three months ended March 31, 2024, include additional interest income of $0.02 per share, resulting from the early 2024 amendment to the secured seller note from the sale of the former HOS business.
Growth Through Capital Investment in Infrastructure and Regulated Acquisitions
The Company continues to grow its businesses, with the substantial majority of its growth to be achieved in the Regulated Businesses through (i) continued capital investment in the Company’s infrastructure to provide safe, clean, reliable and affordable water and wastewater services to its customers, (ii) regulated acquisitions to expand the Company’s services to new customers and (iii) the addition of approximately 4,400 new customers through organic growth in existing systems. The Company plans to invest approximately $3.1 billion in these growth strategies in 2024. During the first three months of 2024, the Company invested $720 million, primarily in the Regulated Businesses, as discussed below.
Growth and Optimization
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$634 million capital investment, primarily in the Regulated Businesses for infrastructure improvements and replacements; and
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$86 million to fund the Company’s Illinois subsidiary’s acquisition of a wastewater treatment plant and related assets from Granite City, which treatment plant serves approximately 26,000 customers, including 15,500 customers indirectly in surrounding communities
Effective March 24, 2023, the Company’s Pennsylvania subsidiary acquired the rights to buy the wastewater system assets of the Township of Towamencin, for an aggregate purchase price of $104 million, subject to adjustment as provided in the asset purchase agreement. This system provides wastewater services to approximately 6,300 customer connections in seven townships in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The Company expects to close this acquisition upon final regulatory approval.
On October 11, 2022, the Company’s Pennsylvania subsidiary entered into an agreement to acquire the public wastewater collection and treatment system assets (the “System Assets”) from the Butler Area Sewer Authority. On November 9, 2023, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (the “PaPUC”) approved a settlement agreement without modification with respect to the Company’s Pennsylvania subsidiary’s application to acquire the System Assets from the Butler Area Sewer Authority for a purchase price of $230 million, subject to adjustment as provided for in the asset purchase agreement. This system provides wastewater service for approximately 15,000 customer connections. On December 14, 2023, Center Township and Summit Township filed appeals with the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court seeking to reverse the order entered by the PaPUC approving the sale of the System Assets. On December 29, 2023, the Company’s Pennsylvania subsidiary filed applications with the Commonwealth Court seeking to dismiss the appeals and requesting expedited consideration. By order dated February 1, 2024, the Commonwealth Court deferred deciding the application to dismiss the appeals and directed that the issues raised by the applications to dismiss are to be considered as part of the merits of the appeals and that the disposition of the appeals was to be expedited. Based on the court’s schedule, the Company estimates that the disposition of the appeals could occur as soon as the second quarter of 2024.
In December 2020, the Company’s Pennsylvania subsidiary entered into an agreement (an acquisition intended to comply with Act 12 (discussed below)) to acquire the wastewater collection system assets of Brentwood Borough (“Brentwood”) for a purchase price of approximately $19 million. On February 22, 2024, the PaPUC denied the Pennsylvania subsidiary’s application to acquire Brentwood. On April 3, 2024, the Pennsylvania subsidiary filed an appeal of the decision with the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, asserting, among other things, the PaPUC did not apply the correct legal standard in its decision. The Company cannot currently predict the outcome of this appeal, and the matter remains pending.
As of March 31, 2024, the Company had entered into 26 agreements with a total aggregate purchase price of $517 million for pending acquisitions in the Regulated Businesses, including the agreements discussed above, to add approximately 66,800 additional customers. Four of these 26 agreements, representing an aggregate purchase price of $251 million (including Butler Area Sewer Authority, discussed above) and serving approximately 18,800 customers, have received commission approval. The remaining pending acquisitions, including 13,400 customers under Act 12, require regulatory approval to complete.
On February 7, 2024, the PaPUC proposed the Tentative Supplemental Implementation Order which seeks to make certain changes to the process by which the PaPUC considers and decides applications to acquire water and wastewater assets under Pennsylvania’s existing utility valuation law, known as Act 12 of 2016 (“Act 12”). The Tentative Supplemental Implementation Order proposes, among other things, a reasonableness revie
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Item 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
The Company is exposed to market risk in the normal course of business, including changes in commodity prices, equity prices and interest rates. For further discussion of its exposure to market risk, see Part II, Item 7A—Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk in the Company’s Form 10-K. As of March 31, 2024, there were no treasury lock agreements outstanding as the Company terminated the treasury lock agreements in February 2024. There have been no other significant changes to the Company’s exposure to market risk since December 31, 2023.
Item 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
American Water maintains disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in its reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to management, including the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objective.
The Company’s management, including the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer, conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of its disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act) as of March 31, 2024.
Based on that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer have concluded that, as of March 31, 2024, the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective at a reasonable level of assurance.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
The Company concluded that there have been no changes in internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the three months ended March 31, 2024, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
The following information updates and amends the information provided in the Company’s Form 10-K in Item 3—Legal Proceedings. Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein have the meanings set forth in the Company’s Form 10-K. In accordance with the SEC’s disclosure rules, the Company has elected to disclose environmental proceedings involving the Company and a governmental authority if the amount of potential monetary sanctions, exclusive of interest and costs, that the Company reasonably believes will result from such proceeding is $1 million or more.
Alternative Water Supply in Lieu of Carmel River Diversions
Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project
Water Supply Project Land Acquisition and Slant Well Site Use
The July 15, 2024 trial date previously set by the Monterey County Superior Court for the City’s May 2020 lawsuit has been vacated pending receipt of the SWRCB’s expert advisory opinion. The court scheduled a status and trial setting conference for July 15, 2024.
Challenges Related to Compliance with California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act
In November 2021, the City appealed the court’s decision denying the City’s claims, and in December 2021, Monterey County appealed as to the court’s finding that the City’s action creating a GSA was not void. The related validation and reverse validation actions remain stayed during the pendency of the appeal. On November 13, 2023, the California Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court's decision. On December 22, 2023, the City filed a petition for review with the California Supreme Court, which was denied on February 14, 2024.
Cal Am’s Action for Damages Following Termination of Regional Desalination Project (“RDP”)
In 2010, the CPUC had approved the RDP, which was a precursor to the current Water Supply Project and called for the construction of a desalination facility in the City of Marina. The RDP was to be implemented through a Water Purchase Agreement and ancillary agreements (collectively, the “Agreements”) among MCWD, Cal Am and the Monterey County Water Resources Agency (“MCWRA”). In 2011, due to a conflict of interest concerning a former member of MCWRA’s Board of Directors, MCWRA stated that the Agreements were void, and, as a result, Cal Am terminated the Agreements. In ensuing litigation filed by Cal Am in 2012 to resolve the termination of the RDP, the court in 2015 entered a final judgment agreeing with Cal Am’s position that four of the five Agreements are void, and one, the credit line agreement, is not void. As a result of this litigation, Cal Am was permitted to institute further proceedings, discussed below, to determine the amount of damages that may be awarded to Cal Am as a result of the failure of the RDP.
In 2015, Cal Am and MCWRA filed a complaint in San Francisco County Superior Court against MCWD and RMC Water and Environment, a private engineering consulting firm (“RMC”), seeking to recover compensatory, consequential and incidental damages associated with the failure of the RDP, as well as punitive and treble damages, statutory penalties and attorneys’ fees. In 2019, MCWD was granted a motion for summary judgment related to the tort claims in the complaint. A settlement as to the non-tort claims was finalized and entered into in March 2020, in which MCWD and RMC paid Cal Am an aggregate of $5.2 million to resolve Cal Am’s contract claims against MCWD and all claims against RMC relating to the RDP. Under this agreement, Cal Am’s and MCWRA’s right to appeal the dismissal of their tort claims against MCWD were expressly reserved.
In July 2020, Cal Am appealed the grant of summary judgment on MCWD’s tort claims, and in December 2022, the trial court’s decision was reversed with instructions to vacate its prior orders granting MCWD’s motions for summary judgment and to enter new orders denying the motions. In February 2023, MCWD filed a petition for review of the appellate decision with the California Supreme Court, which was denied in March 2023. The trial court’s prior trial date of May 6, 2024, for Cal Am’s remaining tort claims against MCWD, has been vacated, and a new trial date will be set for later in the year.
Proposed Acquisition of Monterey System Assets — MPWMD Condemnation Action
Local Agency Formation Commission Litigation
On February 8, 2024, and February 9, 2024, respectively, Cal Am and LAFCO each filed a notice of appeal with the California Court of Appeals regarding the Monterey County Superior Court’s decision to issue the writ of mandate. The MPWMD filed a notice of cross-appeal on February 15, 2024.
MPWMD Condemnation Action
On February 26, 2024, Cal Am filed a motion requesting the Monterey County Superior Court dismiss the MPWMD’s eminent domain lawsuit seeking to condemn Cal Am’s Monterey system assets. Cal Am’s motion asserts that the MPWMD lacks legal authorization from both the California legislature and LAFCO to become a retail water provider and the lawsuit improperly seeks to effect a taking of property outside the boundaries of the MPWMD’s territory. The motion is scheduled for a hearing on May 3, 2024.
Chattanooga, Tennessee Class Action Litigation
On January 18, 2024, and April 19, 2024, the court heard oral argument on the motions related to the Tennessee Plaintiffs’ motion for an amended class definition. On April 19, 2024, the court provided an oral ruling denying the amended class and incorporating its denial of the original class. A written order will be drafted, and when entered, the Tennessee Plaintiffs will have a right under state law to appeal the denial of class certification.
Mountaineer Gas Company Main Break
On November 17, 2023, the Ruffin plaintiff filed a motion to consolidate the first three lawsuits before a single judge in Kanawha County Circuit Court. The motion was granted orally but no written order has yet been entered.
On March 6, 2024, the motion to transfer the complaint captioned Mountaineer Gas Company v. West Virginia-American Water Company to the West Virginia Business Court was granted and assigned trial and resolution judges. WVAWC’s partial motion to dismiss this lawsuit remains pending.
On February 19, 2024, Mountaineer Gas filed a motion opposing the referral of the four class action complaints and the Mountaineer Gas complaint to the West Virginia Mass Litigation Panel. On March 28, 2024, the Kanawha County Circuit Court trial judge filed a memorandum opposing the referral. The referral motion remains pending with the Chief Justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court.
On December 6, 2023, WVAWC initiated a process whereby Mountaineer Gas customers could file claims with WVAWC and seek payment from WVAWC of up to $2,000 per affected household for the inconvenience arising from a loss of use of their applicances and documented out-of-pocket expenses as a result of the natural gas outage. In light of the diminishing number of new claims being filed, the claims process was concluded on March 8, 2024. As of March 31, 2024, a total of 557 Mountaineer Gas customers completed the claims process, with another 87 claims pending completion, and the completed claimants were paid by WVAWC an average of approximately $1,500 each. In return, these customers were required to execute a partial release of liability in favor of WVAWC.
On March 1, 2024, the staff of the WVPSC issued an initial memorandum in each separate general investigation for Mountaineer Gas and WVAWC. On April 24, 2024, the staff issued a final joint memorandum in the Mountaineer Gas general investigation stating its view that Mountaineer Gas responded appropriately, reasonably and according to Mountaineer Gas’s written procedures. The staff is making no recommendations for improvements to Mountaineer Gas and is recommending that the Mountaineer Gas general investigation be closed. Both general investigations remain pending, and the due date for the staff memorandum in the WVAWC general investigation is July 24, 2024.
PFAS Multi-District Litigation
On February 8, 2024, after a hearing on December 14, 2023, the MDL court issued its final approval of the DuPont settlement. A fairness hearing on the 3M settlement was held on February 2, 2024, and that settlement was approved by the MDL court on March 29, 2024. The Company has begun the process of perfecting its claims under each settlement within the time periods provided by the MDL court. On April 26, 2024, a potential class action settlement involving defendant Tyco Fire Products LP was filed with the MDL court to resolve claims brought in the MDL against this defendant by public water systems. This potential settlement remains subject to preliminary and final approval of the MDL court. The MDL matter remains pending.
Item 1A. RISK FACTORS
In addition to the other information set forth in this report, readers should carefully consider the factors discussed in Item 1A—Risk Factors in the Form 10-K, and in the Company’s other filings with the SEC, which could materially affect the Company’s business, financial condition, cash flows or future results. There have been no material changes from the risk factors previously disclosed in Item 1A—Risk Factors in the Form 10-K.
ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS
In February 2015, the Board of Directors authorized an anti-dilutive stock repurchase program to mitigate the dilutive effect of shares issued through the Company’s dividend reinvestment and direct stock purchase plan and employee stock purchase and executive compensation activities. The program allows the Company to purchase up to 10 million shares of its outstanding common stock over an unrestricted period of time in the open market or through privately negotiated transactions. The program is conducted in accordance with Rule 10b-18 of the Exchange Act, and, to facilitate these repurchases, the Company enters into Rule 10b5-1 stock repurchase plans with a third-party broker, which allow the Company to repurchase shares of its common stock at times when it otherwise might be prevented from doing so under insider trading laws or because of self-imposed trading blackout periods. Subject to applicable regulations, the Company may elect to amend or cancel the program or the stock repurchase parameters at its discretion to manage dilution.
The Company did not repurchase shares of common stock during the three months ended March 31, 2024. From April 1, 2015, the date repurchases under the anti-dilutive stock repurchase program commenced, through March 31, 2024, the Company repurchased an aggregate of 4,860,000 shares of common stock under the program, leaving an aggregate of 5,140,000 shares available for repurchase under this program.
ITEM 3. DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES
None.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
Item 5. OTHER INFORMATION
None.
Item 6. EXHIBITS
Certain schedules and exhibits to this agreement have been omitted as permitted by rules or regulations of the SEC. The Company will furnish the omitted schedules and exhibits to the SEC upon request.
- Filed herewith.
** Furnished herewith.
The Membership Interest Purchase Agreement filed as Exhibit 2.1 and the Amendment to Secured Seller Note Agreement filed as Exhibit 10.9 to this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q have been included to provide investors and security holders with information regarding the terms of the respective agreements. The filing of these agreements is not intended to provide any other factual information about the parties thereto, or any of their respective subsidiaries or affiliates. The representations, warranties and covenants contained in the respective agreements (i) were made by the parties thereto only for purposes of that respective agreement and as of specific dates; (ii) were made solely for the benefit of the parties to the respective agreement; (iii) may be subject to limitations agreed upon by the contracting parties, including being qualified by confidential disclosures exchanged between the parties in connection with the execution of the respective agreement (such disclosures include information that has been included in public disclosures, as well as additional non-public information); (iv) may have been made for the purposes of allocating contractual risk between the parties to the respective agreements instead of establishing these matters as facts; and (v) may be subject to standards of materiality applicable to the contracting parties to the respective agreements that differ from those applicable to investors.
Investors should not rely on the representations, warranties and covenants or any descriptions thereof as characterizations of the actual state of facts or condition of the parties to the respective agreements thereto, or any of their respective subsidiaries or affiliates. Additionally, the representations, warranties, covenants, conditions and other terms of the respective agreements may be subject to subsequent waiver or modification. Moreover, information concerning the subject matter of the representations, warranties and covenants may change after the date of the respective agreement, which subsequent information may or may not be fully reflected in the Company’s public disclosures. The respective agreements should not be read alone, but should instead be read in conjunction with the other information regarding the Company that is or will be contained in, or incorporated by reference into, the reports and other documents that are filed by the Company with the SEC.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, on the 1st day of May, 2024.
| AMERICAN WATER WORKS COMPANY, INC. | |||||
| (REGISTRANT) | |||||
| By | /s/ M. SUSAN HARDWICK | ||||
| M. Susan Hardwick President and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) | |||||
| By | /s/ JOHN C. GRIFFITH | ||||
| John C. Griffith Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer) | |||||
| By | /s/ MELISSA K. WIKLE | ||||
| Melissa K. Wikle Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer (Principal Accounting Officer) |