Consolidated Water Reports Full Year 2024 Results

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands, March 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CWCO), a leading designer, builder and operator of advanced water supply and treatment plants, reported results for the year ended December 31, 2024. All comparisons are to the prior year period unless otherwise noted.

Consolidated Water will hold a conference call at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time tomorrow to discuss the results (see dial-in information below).

2024 Financial Highlights

• Total revenue declined 26% to $134 million, due to two large construction projects that were underway in 2023 but were completed in June 2024. The company's $204 million design-build-operate desalination plant project in Hawaii continues to progress towards the higher-revenue construction phase.
• Retail revenue increased 5% to $31.7 million on higher sales volumes.
• Bulk revenue decreased 3% to $33.7 million.
• Manufacturing revenue increased by 1% to $17.6 million.
• Services revenue declined by 48% to $51 million, due to a $60 million decline in construction revenue that was partially offset by a $9.9 million increase in recurring operations and maintenance (O&M) revenue and a $2.7 million increase in design and consulting revenue.
• O&M recurring revenue increased 51% to $29.3 million. The increase was comprised of $6.1 million from REC, which was acquired in October 2023, and $3.9 million from PERC.
• Net income from continuing operations attributable to company stockholders totaled $17.9 million or $1.12 per diluted share, compared to $30.7 million or $1.93 per diluted share in 2023.
• Net income, including discontinued operations attributable to company stockholders, totaled $28.2 million or $1.77 per diluted share, compared to $29.6 million or $1.86 per diluted share in 2023.
• Cash and cash equivalents totaled $99.4 million and working capital was $132.8 million as of December 31, 2024.

2024 Operational Highlights

• Retail water sold by the company's Grand Cayman water utility increased 4.5% to a record volume of 1.01 billion gallons. The increase was due to a record number of customer connections which were up 4.3% for the year.
• Advanced through the piloting, design and permitting stages of a project to design, construct, operate and maintain a seawater desalination plant in Hawaii for the Honolulu Board of Water Supply.
• Recognized $7.9 million in operations and maintenance revenue from the company's REC subsidiary, which was acquired in October 2023 to provide a new channel for expansion in water-stressed regions of Colorado.

Dividend Increase

In August 2024, the company increased its quarterly dividend by 15.8% to $0.11 per share beginning in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Management Commentary

"Our revenue and operating income in 2024 from continuing operations were consistent with our expectations, particularly with the completion of the two major design-build projects early in the year,” commented Consolidated Water CEO, Rick McTaggart.

"We saw an improvement in profitability across our retail and manufacturing segments. Our strong retail water sales in our exclusive utility service area on Grand Cayman reflect a record volume of water sold to a record number of customers. This was primarily due to the ongoing growth in population and business activity on the island.

"Our bulk water segment revenue and gross profit remained relatively consistent from the previous year. Our services revenue declined due to the completion in the second quarter of the Liberty Utilities and Red Gate II construction projects which had a major impact on our 2023 revenue. The decline was partially offset by a 51% or nearly $10 million increase in recurring revenue from our operations and maintenance or O&M contracts.

"Most of this additional O&M revenue was generated by REC, our new Colorado subsidiary, that has provided us a new channel to expand our design-build and O&M businesses into water-stressed regions of Colorado. Other U.S.-based O&M contracts managed by our PERC Water subsidiary also contributed meaningfully to the increase.

"Our $204 million project to design, construct, operate and maintain a 1.7 million gallons per day seawater desalination plant for the Honolulu Board of Water Supply has been steadily advancing through the pilot, design and permitting stage. Due to delays unrelated to us, we now expect to begin the construction of this project early next year. We expect the construction phase to generate the largest portion of revenue from the project.

"Also important to note, about 80% of the plant's construction fee is subject to adjustments for inflation from the date the contract was executed to the date construction begins. This will help protect our gross margin and profitability against most increases in the cost of goods and services.

"As announced last month, our wholly owned subsidiary, Cayman Water Company, received a new concession from the Cayman Islands government, granting it continued exclusive rights to produce and supply potable water within its service area on Grand Cayman. Discussions with the Cayman Islands utility regulator for the required license are anticipated to begin soon. Our existing operating license will remain in effect until the new one is received.

"Looking ahead, we remain excited about the future of Consolidated Water for many reasons. This includes the continued growth in water sales in Grand Cayman; the long-term, stable recurring revenue from our Caribbean-based bulk water business; and the growth potential of our U.S.-based manufacturing, design-build and O&M businesses.

"Supported by an exceptionally strong balance sheet, we will continue to invest in new infrastructure like the expansion of our West Bay plant to serve the growing water needs of our utility customers in Grand Cayman. We also plan to add additional manufacturing space for Aerex. We expect these investments to ultimately drive future retail and manufacturing revenue growth. Our strong balance sheet also enables us to move quickly and strategically on any potential acquisitions.

"We expect our construction revenue to remain below the record level set in 2023 until we commence construction of the desalination project in Hawaii. However, we see this major construction phase substantially adding to our revenue and earnings growth in 2026 and 2027.”

2024 Financial Summary

Revenue totaled $134 million, declining 26% from $180.2 million in 2023. The decrease was due to decreases of $47 million in the services segment and $922,000 in the bulk segment. The decreases were partially offset by increases of $1.6 million in the retail segment and $104,000 in the manufacturing segment.

Retail revenue increased due to a 4.5% increase in the volume of water sold. The volume of water sold increased due to a 4.3% increase in the number of customer accounts in the company's license area during the year.

The decrease in bulk segment revenue was due to a decrease in the price of energy for CW-Bahamas which decreased the energy pass-through component of CW-Bahamas' rates. The decrease in bulk segment revenue was partially offset by the revenue generated by the commencement on May 1, 2024, of the operations and maintenance contract for the new Red Gate desalination plant on Grand Cayman. The decrease also was partially offset by the additional revenue generated by the amendment of the company's North Sound contract which also became effective on May 1, 2024.

The decrease in services segment revenue was due to plant construction revenue decreasing from $77.3 million in 2023 to $17.6 million in 2024 as the result of two construction projects being completed in 2024. Revenue generated under operations and maintenance contracts totaled $29.3 million in 2024, an increase of 51% from 2023. Newly acquired REC contributed $6.1 million to the increase, with the remainder related to incremental PERC contracts.

Manufacturing segment revenue increased by $104,000 to $17.6 million as compared to $17.5 million in 2023.

Gross profit for 2024 was $45.6 million (34.1% of total revenue), as compared to $61.9 million (34.4% of total revenue) in 2023.

Net income from continuing operations attributable to Consolidated Water stockholders for 2024 was $17.9 million or $1.12 per diluted share, compared to net income of $30.7 million or $1.93 per diluted share in 2023.

Including discontinued operations, net income attributable to Consolidated Water stockholders for 2024 was $28.2 million or $1.77 per diluted share, compared to net income of $29.6 million or $1.86 per diluted share in 2023.

Cash and cash equivalents totaled $99.4 million as of December 31, 2024, with working capital of $132.8 million, debt of $0.2 million, and stockholders' equity of $210 million.

Full Year Segment Results