American Water Works Company AWK posted third-quarter 2019 earnings of $1.33 per share, surpassing with the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.29 by 3.1%. The bottom line also improved 10.8% year over year on the back of contributions from infrastructure investment, acquisitions and organic growth.
GAAP earnings came in at $1.33 compared with $1.04 in the year-ago quarter.
Total Revenues
Total revenues of $1,013 million beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $997 million by 1.6% and improved 3.8% from the year-ago figure of $976 million.
American Water Works Company, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
American Water Works Company, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | American Water Works Company, Inc. Quote
Highlights of the Release
Total operating expenses in the quarter were $607 million, down 5.3% from the year-ago period. The decline was due to lower operation and maintenance expenses.
Operating income was $406 million, 21.2% higher than the year-ago figure.
Interest expenses in the reported quarter totaled $97 million compared with $89 million in the prior-year period.
Segment Details
Regulated businesses’ net income was $236 million compared with $213 million in the year-ago quarter. Year to date, this segment added 57,000 customers through acquisitions and organic growth. Notably, organic growth and additional authorized revenues to support infrastructure investments boosted income, despite the negative impact of wet weather conditions.
The company expects to add an additional 26,400 customer connections through pending acquisitions.
Market-Based businesses’ net income was $23 million against $7 million loss in the year-ago quarter. This is attributable to its Homeowner Services Group’s 2018 acquisition of Pivotal Home Solutions and Military Services Group’s addition of two military contracts during the same year.
Financial Highlights
Cash and cash equivalents amounted to $94 million as of Sep 30, 2019, down from $130 million on Dec 31, 2018.
Long-term debt was $8,640 million as of Sep 30, 2019, higher than $7,576 million at 2018-end.
Cash flow from operating activities in the first nine months of 2019 was $945 million compared with $992 million in the comparable year-ago period.
Guidance
American Water Works has narrowed its 2019 earnings guidance in the range $3.57-$3.65 from $3.54-$3.64 per share.
For capital expenditures and acquisitions, the company plans to invest $1.9 billion in 2019.
Zacks Rank
American Water Works currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Upcoming Water Utility Releases
American States Water Co. AWR is set to release third-quarter 2019 results on Nov 4. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for third-quarter earnings is pegged at 72 cents.
Aqua America Inc. WTR is slated to release third-quarter 2019 financial numbers on Nov 4. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings stands at 43 cents.
Consolidated Water Works Company CWCO is expected to release third-quarter 2019 results on Nov 14. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for third-quarter earnings is pegged at 16 cents.
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