American Water Works 10-Q 2024-09-30
Filed 2024-10-30. 8 sections, 284K 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 September 30, 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 October 21, 2024 | ||||||||||||||||
| Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share | 194,893,889 |
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, a Sustainability website at https://ir.amwater.com/sustainability 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 Company’s plans and efforts to protect and remediate its computer networks and systems following the Company’s October 3, 2024 cybersecurity incident, and the impacts of such incident on the Company and/or its financial condition and results of operations; 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, including with respect to the Company’s reported October 3, 2024 cybersecurity incident;
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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)
| September 30, 2024 | December 31, 2023 | ||||||||||
| ASSETS | |||||||||||
| Property, plant and equipment | $ | 33,940 | $ | 32,189 | |||||||
| Accumulated depreciation | (6,933) | (6,751) | |||||||||
| Property, plant and equipment, net | 27,007 | 25,438 | |||||||||
| Current assets: | |||||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | 127 | 330 | |||||||||
| Restricted funds | 40 | 34 | |||||||||
| Accounts receivable, net of allowance for uncollectible accounts of $50 and $51, respectively | 453 | 339 | |||||||||
| Income tax receivable | 7 | 86 | |||||||||
| Unbilled revenues | 310 | 302 | |||||||||
| Materials and supplies | 105 | 112 | |||||||||
| Other | 195 | 186 | |||||||||
| Total current assets | 1,237 | 1,389 | |||||||||
| Regulatory and other long-term assets: | |||||||||||
| Regulatory assets | 1,119 | 1,106 | |||||||||
| Secured seller promissory note from the sale of the Homeowner Services Group | 795 | 720 | |||||||||
| Operating lease right-of-use assets | 89 | 86 | |||||||||
| Goodwill | 1,143 | 1,143 | |||||||||
| Other | 400 | 416 | |||||||||
| Total regulatory and other long-term assets | 3,546 | 3,471 | |||||||||
| Total assets | $ | 31,790 | $ | 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)
| September 30, 2024 | December 31, 2023 | ||||||||||
| CAPITALIZATION AND LIABILITIES | |||||||||||
| Capitalization: | |||||||||||
| Common stock ($0.01 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized; 200,345,035 and 200,144,968 shares issued, respectively) | $ | 2 | $ | 2 | |||||||
| Paid-in-capital | 8,588 | 8,550 | |||||||||
| Retained earnings | 2,172 | 1,659 | |||||||||
| Accumulated other comprehensive loss | (8) | (26) | |||||||||
| Treasury stock, at cost (5,451,216 and 5,414,867 shares, respectively) | (392) | (388) | |||||||||
| Total common shareholders' equity | 10,362 | 9,797 | |||||||||
| Long-term debt | 12,550 | 11,715 | |||||||||
| Redeemable preferred stock at redemption value | 3 | 3 | |||||||||
| Total long-term debt | 12,553 | 11,718 | |||||||||
| Total capitalization | 22,915 | 21,515 | |||||||||
| Current liabilities: | |||||||||||
| Short-term debt | 215 | 179 | |||||||||
| Current portion of long-term debt | 585 | 475 | |||||||||
| Accounts payable | 259 | 294 | |||||||||
| Accrued liabilities | 585 | 791 | |||||||||
| Accrued taxes | 174 | 67 | |||||||||
| Accrued interest | 129 | 93 | |||||||||
| Other | 185 | 252 | |||||||||
| Total current liabilities | 2,132 | 2,151 | |||||||||
| Regulatory and other long-term liabilities: | |||||||||||
| Advances for construction | 379 | 352 | |||||||||
| Deferred income taxes and investment tax credits | 2,833 | 2,717 | |||||||||
| Regulatory liabilities | 1,403 | 1,481 | |||||||||
| Operating lease liabilities | 77 | 73 | |||||||||
| Accrued pension expense | 243 | 262 | |||||||||
| Other | 239 | 196 | |||||||||
| Total regulatory and other long-term liabilities | 5,174 | 5,081 | |||||||||
| Contributions in aid of construction | 1,569 | 1,551 | |||||||||
| Commitments and contingencies (See Note 11) | |||||||||||
| Total capitalization and liabilities | $ | 31,790 | $ | 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 September 30, | For the Nine Months Ended September 30, | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | 2023 | 2024 | 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating revenues | $ | 1,323 | $ | 1,167 | $ | 3,483 | $ | 3,202 | |||||||||||||||
| Operating expenses: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operation and maintenance | 496 | 436 | 1,339 | 1,248 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 200 | 177 | 581 | 523 | |||||||||||||||||||
| General taxes | 84 | 76 | 246 | 227 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other | — | — | (1) | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses, net | 780 | 689 | 2,165 | 1,997 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Operating income | 543 | 478 | 1,318 | 1,205 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other (expense) income: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense | (132) | (117) | (387) | (342) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Interest income | 22 | 23 | 71 | 52 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Non-operating benefit costs, net | 7 | 9 | 23 | 26 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other, net | 13 | 14 | 31 | 37 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total other (expense) income | (90) | (71) | (262) | (227) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Income before income taxes | 453 | 407 | 1,056 | 978 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Provision for income taxes | 103 | 84 | 244 | 205 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Net income attributable to common shareholders | $ | 350 | $ | 323 | $ | 812 | $ | 773 | |||||||||||||||
| Basic earnings per share: (a) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income attributable to common shareholders | $ | 1.80 | $ | 1.66 | $ | 4.17 | $ | 4.03 | |||||||||||||||
| Diluted earnings per share: (a) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income attributable to common shareholders | $ | 1.80 | $ | 1.66 | $ | 4.17 | $ | 4.03 | |||||||||||||||
| Weighted-average common shares outstanding: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Basic | 195 | 195 | 1 |
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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 and nine months ended September 30, 2024, diluted earnings per share, prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”), were $1.80 and $4.17, respectively, compared to $1.66 and $4.03 per share in the same periods in 2023. Results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, include increased revenues from the implementation of new rates in the Regulated Businesses from capital and acquisition investments. Results also reflect increased production and employee related costs, increased depreciation and higher financing costs used to fund the current capital investment plan. Results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, reflect the net favorable impact of warmer, drier weather compared to normal, estimated at $0.04 and $0.07 per share, respectively. Results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, reflect the net favorable impact of weather compared to normal, estimated at $0.04 and $0.11 per share, respectively. Results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, include additional interest income of $0.03 and $0.07 per share, respectively, 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) organic growth in existing systems. The Company now plans to invest approximately $3.3 billion in these growth strategies in 2024. During the first nine months of 2024, the Company invested $2.0 billion, in the Regulated Businesses, as discussed below.
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$1.9 billion capital investment in the Regulated Businesses for infrastructure improvements and replacements; and
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$119 million to fund acquisitions in the Regulated Businesses, which added approximately 33,400 customers. This includes the acquisition by the Company's Illinois subsidiary of a wastewater treatment plant and related assets from Granite City on March 11, 2024, for a cash purchase price of $86 million, which added approximately 26,000 wastewater customers, including 15,500 customers indirectly in surrounding communities.
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Added approximately 14,700 new customers through organic growth in existing systems.
On September 26, 2024, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court issued an order dismissing the appeals of Center Township and Summit Township, which sought to reverse the November 9, 2023, order entered by the PaPUC which approved a settlement agreement without modification with respect to the Company’s Pennsylvania subsidiary’s application to acquire the wastewater collection and treatment system assets (the “System Assets”) from the Butler Area Sewer Authority. On October 29, 2024, the Pennsylvania subsidiary acquired the System Assets from the Butler Area Sewer Authority for a purchase price of $230 million, in cash. This system provides wastewater service for approximately 15,000 customer connections. The acquisition will be accounted for as a business combination in the fourth quarter of 2024 and the preliminary purchase price allocation consists primarily of utility plant.
Effective March 24, 2023, the Company’s Pennsylvania subsidiary acquired the rights to buy the wastewater system assets of Towamencin Township, for an aggregate purchase price of $104 million. On August 28, 2024, Towamencin Township and the Company’s Pennsylvania subsidiary began the process to terminate the asset purchase agreement. On October 15, 2024, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (“PaPUC”) issued a Certificate of Filing, which approves the termination of the asset purchase agreement with respect to this acquisition. As a result, the asset purchase agreement and all rights and obligations of the Company’s Pennsylvania subsidiary thereunder have been terminated without penalty.
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 October 30, 2024, the Company had entered into 22 agreements with a total aggregate purchase price of $169 million for pending acquisitions in the Regulated Businesses, to add approximately 43,400 additional customers.
On February 7, 2024, the PaPUC proposed the Tentative Supplemental Implementation Order (“TSIO”) 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 TSIO proposes, among other things, a reasonableness review ratio that would be applied to help guide the determination on the overall prudency of the transaction and reasonableness of the purchase price. On July 2, 2024, the PaPUC issued the Final Supplemental Implementation Or
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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. There have been no 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 September 30, 2024.
Based on that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer have concluded that, as of September 30, 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 September 30, 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, and in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2024, in Part II, Item 1—Legal Proceedings. Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein have the meanings set forth in the Company’s Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. 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. On September 19, 2024, the SWRCB administrative hearing officer sent a letter to the court advising that the full draft report of the SWRCB advisory opinion addressing the questions referred by the court would not be received until at least November 1, 2024, and would then be likely considered by the SWRCB at its public board meeting scheduled for December 2024. The court therefore scheduled another status conference for January 28, 2025.
Regional Water Quality Control Board Approval of NPDES Permit Amendment
A requirement of the desalination plant that is a key component of the Water Supply Project is the discharge of brine through Monterey One Water's outfall. As a condition to Cal Am’s coastal development permit, an amendment of a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, or NPDES, permit must be obtained by Monterey One Water as the outfall owner from the Regional Water Quality Control Board (the “RWQCB”). The RWQCB must also determine that the proposed brine discharge complies with the desalination facility requirements under the California Ocean Plan. Working in cooperation with Monterey One Water staff and consultants, Cal Am prepared an application for submission to the RWQCB, which application and submission were approved by Monterey One Water's Board on September 30, 2024.
Cal Am’s Action for Damages Following Termination of Regional Desalination Project (“RDP”)
Following a hearing held on August 16, 2024, the court approved supplemental briefing on certain issues and continued the hearing to November 1, 2024. The trial date in this matter remains vacated and will be rescheduled at a later date.
Proposed Acquisition of Monterey System Assets — MPWMD Condemnation Action
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. Hearings on the motion were held on May 3, 2024, and August 23, 2024, and a decision on the motion from the court remains pending.
Dunbar, West Virginia Water Main Break Class Action Litigation
By order dated June 28, 2024, the Circuit Court set a date of December 3, 2024, for a class trial on issues relating to duty and breach of that duty. This trial will not find class-wide or punitive damages. Before trial begins, mediation is scheduled to take place during the fourth quarter of 2024.
Mountaineer Gas Company Main Break
The West Virginia Business Court has set a trial date of October 7, 2025, for the matter of Mountaineer Gas Company v. West Virginia-American Water Company.
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 in damages per affected household for the inconvenience arising from a loss of use of their appliances 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 September 30, 2024, a total of 593 Mountaineer Gas customers completed this claims process, and each of those customers has been paid by WVAWC an average of approximately $1,500. In return, these customers were required to execute a partial release of liability in favor of WVAWC.
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. Other than as set forth below, there have been no material changes from the risk factors previously disclosed in Item 1A—Risk Factors in the Form 10-K.
We are, and may in the future be, subject to physical and cyber attacks.
As owners and operators of critical infrastructure, we face a heightened risk of physical and cyber attacks from internal or external sources. Our water and wastewater systems may be vulnerable to disability or failures as a result of physical or cyber attacks, acts of war or terrorism, vandalism and other causes. Our operational and information technology systems are also vulnerable to unauthorized external or internal access, due to hacking, viruses, social engineering attacks, acts of violence, war or terrorism, and other causes. Unauthorized access to confidential information located or stored on these systems could negatively and materially impact our reputation, customers, employees, suppliers and other third parties. Such unauthorized access could be caused through, among other causes, failure to follow established policies and procedures on the part of our employees, agents, vendors, suppliers, contractors or other third parties. Further, third parties, including vendors, suppliers and contractors, who perform certain services for us or administer and maintain our networks and sensitive information, could also be targets of cyber attacks and unauthorized access to their operational or information technology systems, and any cyber incident affecting our third-party business partners could significantly disrupt our operations. By way of example, on October 7, 2024, we disclosed that, on October 3, 2024, we identified unauthorized activity within our information technology computer networks and systems, which we determined to be the result of a cybersecurity incident. See Part I, Item 2—Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Other Matters—Cybersecurity Incident for more information regarding this incident.
While we believe that we have appropriate security measures and safeguards to protect our operational and information technology systems, the recent cybersecurity incident that we experienced demonstrated that those protections alone may not prevent a cyber attack, and we cannot guarantee that such protections will be completely successful in preventing or mitigating a future cyber attack. Although the Company is unable to predict the full impact of this incident, the Company does not expect that the incident will have a material effect on the Company or its financial condition or results of operations. An understanding of the full scope, nature and impact of this incident remains subject to our ongoing investigation. The Company remains subject to various risks due to this incident, including those related to the adequacy of processes during the period of disruption, diversion of management’s attention, and litigation and regulatory scrutiny, including from putative class action lawsuits that have been filed in connection with the recent incident. Cybersecurity events could cause our operations to be disrupted, property to be damaged, and customer and other confidential information to be lost or stolen; we could experience substantial loss of revenues, response costs and other financial loss; we would likely suffer a loss or redirection of management time, attention and resources from our regular business operations; we may be subject to increased regulatory requirements; we would likely experience litigation and other claims against us; and we may suffer damage to our reputation, any of which could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Applicable laws and regulations or contracts may require us to report cybersecurity events or breaches of securely maintained confidential data, which may cause us to incur costs related to legal claims or proceedings and regulatory fines or penalties. These types of events, and their resulting impacts, either to our facilities or assets, those of third parties, or the industry in general, may also cause us to incur additional security and insurance related costs. In addition, in the ordinary course of business, we collect and retain sensitive information, including personally identifiable information, about our customers and employees. In many cases, we outsource administration of certain functions to vendors that have been and will continue to be targets of cyber attacks. Any theft, loss or fraudulent use of customer, employee or proprietary data as a result of a cyber attack on us or a vendor, supplier, contractor or other third-party business partner could also subject us to significant litigation, liability and costs, as well as adversely impact our reputation with customers and regulators, among others.
We have obtained insurance to provide coverage for a portion of the losses and damages that may result from a physical attack, cyber attack or a security breach, but such insurance is subject to a number of exclusions and may not cover the total loss or damage caused by an attack or a breach. We have incurred, and may continue to incur, certain expenses related to the cybersecurity incident, including expenses to respond to, remediate and investigate this matter. Although we maintain cybersecurity insurance, the full scope of the costs and related impacts of the recent cybersecurity incident remain subject to investigation, and thus we cannot be certain of the extent to which such coverage or third-party indemnification will cover such costs. In the future, adequate insurance may not be available at rates that we believe are reasonable, and the costs of responding to and recovering from a physical attack, cyber attack or security breach incident may not be covered by insurance or recoverable in rates.
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 September 30, 2024. From April 1, 2015, the date repurchases under the anti-dilutive stock repurchase program commenced, through September 30, 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 No. 1 to Secured Seller Note Agreement filed as Exhibit 10.1 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 30th day of October, 2024.
| AMERICAN WATER WORKS COMPANY, INC. | |||||
| (REGISTRANT) | |||||
| By | /s/ M. SUSAN HARDWICK | ||||
| M. Susan Hardwick Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) | |||||
| By | /s/ DAVID M. BOWLER | ||||
| David M. Bowler 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) |