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>>> Roper Technologies, Inc. (ROP) designs and develops software, and engineered products and solutions worldwide. It offers management, campus solutions, laboratory information management, enterprise management, information solutions, transportation management, financial and compliance management, cloud-based financial analytics and performance management, and diagnostic and laboratory information system software; and software, services, and technologies for foodservice operations. The company also provides cloud-based data, collaboration, and estimating automation software; visual effects and 3D content software; electronic marketplace; wireless sensor network and solutions; cloud-based software solutions; supply chain software; health care service and software; RFID card readers; data analytics and information; pharmacies software solutions; and toll system and products, transaction and violation processing services, and intelligent traffic systems. In addition, it offers precision rubber and polymer testing instruments, and data analysis software; ultrasound accessories; radiotherapy solutions; testing and analyzing plastics solutions; dispensers and metering pumps; control valves; precision weighing equipment; automated surgical scrub and linen dispensing equipment; water meters; automated leak detection equipment; medical devices; products and services for water and gas utilities; and equipment and consumables. The company also provides temperature control and emergency shutoff valves; turbomachinery control hardware, software, and services; specialized pumps; low meter calibrators, and controllers; vibration monitoring systems and controls; analytical instrument; drilling power section; pressure and level sensors; and non-destructive testing equipment and solutions. The company was formerly known as Roper Industries, Inc. and changed its name to Roper Technologies, Inc. in April 2015. Roper Technologies, Inc. was incorporated in 1981 and is based in Sarasota, Florida.
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American Water Works - >>> A resilient money-builder stock
https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/10/24/5-great-stocks-you-can-buy-and-hold-forever/
American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) has made investors more money than you might think, thanks to a regulated business that has supported plenty of dividend growth. It provides water and wastewater services to 15 million customers across 45 states, and the rates its charges are set by public utility commissions. That makes the company's revenue and cash flow stable and predictable.
American Water's financial goals offer investors a great deal of insight regarding its medium-term prospects. Through 2024, it's targeting:
7% to 8% compound annual growth in its water rate base.
7% to 10% compound annual growth in earnings per share.
7% to 10% compound annual growth in its dividend.
$8.8 billion to $9.4 billion in capital spending.
Regulated capital expenditures to win base rate approvals should be the key driver of earnings growth, supplemented by growth moves like acquisitions. And as its earnings grow, so should its dividend. Overall, that makes American Water a reliable company to invest in for long periods of time. And if you're a proponent of ESG investing, you might want to know that the utility recently scored the highest ESG evaluation rating in the U.S. from S&P Global.
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American Water Works (AWK) - >>> This underrated dividend stock could make you rich
https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/10/31/3-dividend-stocks-that-should-pay-you-the-rest-of/
You may be tempted to dismiss American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) as a boring company and write off its relatively low yield of 1.4%, but the stock's jaw-dropping returns in the past decade should make you sit up and take notice.
American Water, which provides water and wastewater services to 15 million customers across 45 states, has paid a dividend for decades and increased it annually for at least the past 10 years. Management has followed a clearly set-out dividend policy that calls for "dividend increases with long-term earnings-per-share growth" and a target payout ratio in the range of 50% to 60% of net income.
That policy suggests investors can expect 7% to 10% growth in American Water's dividends through 2024, in line with its similar target EPS growth, driven by rate increases. It's a regulated utility, so its rates are set and any hikes must be approved by public utility commissions. To ensure it wins timely approvals of those increases when it requests them, American Water is targeting $20 billion to $22 billion in capital investment over the next decade -- such moves go a long way toward convincing regulators. As its rates grow, so should profits and dividends, making American Water a reliable dividend stock to own for decades.
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York Water - >>> The 3 Greatest Stocks You've Never Heard Of
One company has returned almost 29,000% since 1975, while the other two have quintupled the S&P 500's gains over the past 20 years.
Motley Fool
Sean Williams
Jul 7, 2020
https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/07/07/the-3-greatest-stocks-youve-never-heard-of.aspx
This has been a year that no one will soon forget -- especially Wall Street.
In a four-month span, the stock market experienced about a decade's worth of volatility. Panic surrounding the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic slashed 34% off of the value of the widely followed S&P 500 in less than five weeks. Then, in the 11 weeks that followed, the benchmark index gained most of what it lost back, while the technology-focused Nasdaq Composite has pushed to one new all-time high after another.
In many respects, the usual suspects are responsible for this rebound -- the FAANG stocks, cloud-computing companies, artificial intelligence stocks, cutting-edge biotech companies, and really anything having to do with leading-edge or asset-light innovation. But what you might not realize is that some of the market's greatest stocks are company's you've never heard of before.
Here are three such names.
White Mountains Insurance Group (WTM)
Most investors are familiar with investing great Warren Buffett and have likely heard of his company, Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK-A)(NYSE:BRK-B). They may even be familiar with Markel, which is often described as a "mini-Berkshire." But there's a very good chance you've never heard about White Mountains Insurance Group (NYSE:WTM), which really is a bit of an under-the-radar mini-Berkshire Hathaway.
Following the sale of OneBeacon in 2017, White Mountains Insurance has focused its attention on its big five investments. These include HG Global and BAM, which provide municipal bond insurance and reinsurance, Kudu, which offers advisory services and capital solutions to asset management and wealth management companies, and MediaAlpha, a marketing technology company, to name three of the five. Like Buffett, White Mountains is generally focused on low-risk, fee-based businesses that provide predictable cash flow and are often tied to the health of the U.S. economy (which spends far more time expanding than contracting).
Beyond just acquiring controlling or significant stakes in five diverse businesses, White Mountains also invests in fixed-income assets and equities (typically passive exchange-traded funds). Though it doesn't have the $210 billion-plus investment portfolio that Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway sports, White Mountains did have almost $1.2 billion in fixed-income assets at the end of March, including $486 million in corporate bonds, and another $1.15 billion in equities and other long-term investments. Considering that the stock market is known to return 7% over the long-run, inclusive of dividend reinvestment, White Mountains' investment strategy should yield mid-single-digit portfolio growth.
Also, like Berkshire Hathaway, White Mountains Insurance Group regularly repurchases its own common stock. Over the past five years, White Mountains' share count has nearly been halved from approximately 6 million shares outstanding to just 3.11 million. Buybacks tend to have a positive impact on book value and earnings per share, which has likely played a big role in the company's 11-year winning streak (based on total return, including dividends) and 645% return since the century began.
York Water (YORW)
When I say "water utility," your initial reaction might be to yawn loudly, or perhaps even scroll to the next great unheard of stock. But pass up Pennsylvania-focused York Water (NASDAQ:YORW) at your own risk, as it's delivered a 667% return since the beginning of 2000, which has more than quintupled the return of the benchmark S&P 500 over the same time frame.
If you want a true "wow" statistic, how about this: No publicly traded company has been paying a longer consecutive dividend than York Water. York began paying a regular dividend to its shareholders back when James Madison was president of the United States. No joke -- York has paid dividends for 204 consecutive years. The next-closest company is Stanley Black & Decker which has been paying a dividend for 143 straight years. That's a better than six-decade gap between York Water and the No. 2 consecutive dividend-paying company.
Admittedly, providing water and wastewater services isn't exactly an exciting business. However, it provides plenty of predictable demand and cash flow, which has allowed York to continue paying a dividend for more than two centuries, as well as plot out acquisitions with excellent visibility. It also doesn't hurt that most utility stocks operate as monopolies or oligopolies in the municipalities they service.
Furthermore, the company's water and wastewater services are regulated operations. Though this means York Water isn't able to pass along price hikes at its choosing, it also means that it's not exposed to any wholesale pricing, which can be potentially volatile. When it comes to cash flow predictability, it's really hard to beat York Water.
Dover
Other than being a state capital, Dover (NYSE:DOV) is highly unlikely to ring a bell with most investors. However, since the beginning 1975, Dover' stock has returned a whopping 28,800% to its shareholders, and the company is riding the second-longest dividend increase streak among all Dividend Aristocrats at 64 years. For those of you keeping score at home, Dover's annualized rate of return is close to 13.3% over the past 45 years, which is almost double that of the historic return of the stock market.
What makes Dover such a great company is that it seemingly has its hands in everything. It generates revenue from fueling solutions, refrigeration and food equipment, imaging and digital printing, engineered component and software solutions, and so much more. There are a bevy of brands that Dover's products are sold under, and there's a pretty good chance you're seeing or interacting with these products on a regular basis. This product diversity helps to tie Dover's financial success to that of the U.S. and global economy. While that does mean it's not been impervious to COVID-19, it also suggests that Dover can take advantage of long periods of economic expansion.
Another big part of the Dover growth strategy is acquisitions. The danger of bringing in too many moving parts is that they can fail to mesh. This hasn't been a problem for Dover, which has dozens of independently operating companies under its umbrella. Dover has a history of buying up businesses that are top-performers in their specific industries, and then sitting back and allowing that same success to continue under the Dover umbrella. You could say that Dover is also somewhat Berkshire Hathaway-like in this respect, having completed 44 acquisitions just since 2010.
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American Water - >>> Illinois American Water Acquires City of Jerseyville Water and Wastewater Systems
Business Wire
October 6, 2020
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/illinois-american-water-acquires-city-195700242.html
Illinois American Water President Justin Ladner today announced the Company’s acquisition of the City of Jerseyville water and wastewater systems. The purchase adds approximately 4,100 water and 3,950 wastewater customers to the company’s southern Illinois service area.
The City of Jerseyville voted in favor of the sale in December 2019. In August 2020, Illinois American Water began operating the Jerseyville water and wastewater systems on a contract basis until the close of the sale. The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) recently approved the sale for $43.25 million. The sale was completed today.
"Our team is proud to play a vital role in the City of Jerseyville," said Ladner. "We’ve committed to significant investment in the local water and wastewater infrastructure, as well as the construction of a local distribution center. We want to be a key part of the community and its growth."
According to City of Jerseyville Mayor William Russell the sale of the water and wastewater systems to Illinois American Water "allows the City to pay off debt and focus on other priorities." He went on to say, "The City will also benefit from a local operations center which will support customer service and tax revenue. Additional proceeds from the sale will support long-term infrastructure improvements and our community’s future. This is an exciting time for Jerseyville."
Illinois American Water plans to invest $15 million in the first five years of ownership to upgrade the City of Jerseyville water and wastewater systems. Work will include a new operations center and elevated water tank as well as upgrades to the water treatment plant, wastewater treatment plant and lift stations. Water and sewer mains will also be replaced, and automation will be implemented to improve operational efficiency.
Karen Cooper, Director of Operations for Illinois American Water, said, "We are excited to partner with the City of Jerseyville and to support the community’s success. We appreciate the City’s trust and confidence in our team."
Customers will receive an Illinois American Water welcome packet in the mail. This packet includes information about online account management, billing and more.
To learn more about Illinois American Water and hear testimonials from communities the company has partnered with, please visit the Doing Business with Us page under About Us at www.illinoisamwater.com.
About Illinois American Water - Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville. With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 6,800 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to 15 million people in 46 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Illinois American Water ranked #1 in Customer Satisfaction
with Large Water Utilities in the Midwest according to the J.D. Power
2020 Water Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study
For J.D. Power 2020 award information, visit jdpower.com/awards
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>>> American Water's (AWK) Arm to Buy Page-Kincaid Water System
Zacks
Fri, September 18, 2020
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/american-waters-awk-arm-buy-145402512.html
American Water Works Company AWK announced that its subsidiary, West Virginia American Water has entered into an agreement with Page-Kincaid Public Service District to acquire the community’s water system, which will add 650 new customers to its existing customer base.
West Virginia American Water provides reliable water and wastewater services to more than 565,000 residents in California. Through this acquisition, American Water Works’ unit will extend high-quality services to new customers. The people of Page-Kincaid have been suffering from inadequate water supply and service for a long time.
American Water Works has been very active in acquiring small water and wastewater service providers, as well as expanding operations. As of Jul 31, 2020, the company completed 13 acquisitions, which added 10,800 customers to the existing customer base. The remaining 28 acquisitions as of Jul 31, 2020, when completed, will add more than 43,600 customers.
Why Consolidation is Important in Water Space?
The role of consolidation becomes extremely vital in the water utility space, as it is extremely difficult for small service providers to invest a large sum to upgrade and repair old water mains. As it is, 50,000 water and 15,000 wastewater operators are currently providing services in the United States. Some of these operators are not large enough to accommodate the infrastructure upgrade expenses.
The U.S. water and wastewater infrastructure is ageing and gradually approaching toward the end of service life. Billions of gallons of potable water are lost in the United States every year due to thousands of pipeline breaks across the country on a daily basis, with the primary reason being delay in replacing old and soiled water as well as wastewater pipelines. The pipeline breaks also increase the possibility of potable water contamination.
Hence, large water utilities are actively acquiring small water and wastewater service units, as well as ensuring investments to upgrade the quality of services. American Water Works is quite active in acquiring small service providers. Global Water Resources, Inc. GWRS is also taking the inorganic route to expand operations in the United States. Another water utility, Essential Utilities WTRG not only expanded water and wastewater operations through acquisitions but also ventured into the natural gas distribution business through the acquisition of Peoples.
Price Performance
Shares of American Water have outperformed the industry in the past 12 months.
Zacks Rank and Key Pick
Currently, the company has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A better-ranked water utility is American States Water Company AWR, which holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
American States Water delivered an average earnings surprise of 0.2% in the last four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2020 earnings has moved up 0.9% to $2.29 per share in the past 60 days.
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>>> Middlesex Water Company (MSEX) owns and operates regulated water utility and wastewater systems. It operates in two segments, Regulated and Non-Regulated. The Regulated segment collects, treats, and distributes water on a retail and wholesale basis to residential, commercial, industrial, and fire protection customers in parts of New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. This segment also includes regulated wastewater systems in New Jersey and Delaware. The Non-Regulated segment provides non-regulated contract services for the operation and maintenance of municipal and private water and wastewater systems in New Jersey and Delaware. Middlesex Water Company was founded in 1897 and is headquartered in Iselin, New Jersey. <<<
>>> American Water Arm Upgrades Wastewater System, Invests $3.7M
Zacks
August 13, 2020
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/american-water-arm-upgrades-wastewater-124812599.html
American Water Works AWK announced that its subsidiary, Illinois American Water has invested $3.7 million in the past 12 months to upgrade and maintain the Alton Regional Wastewater System. Last June, Illinois American Water acquired this system and made a commitment to improve the quality of sewer services for customers.
A significant portion of the first-year investment included completion of the design phase for separating the combined sewer system in the Turner Tract, Piasa Valley and Shields Valley service areas. In addition, new sewer mains were installed, wastewater treatment plants were replaced and other necessary changes were made to provide quality services to clients.
Infrastructure is Getting Old
The existing water and wastewater infrastructure of the United States is getting old and gradually moving toward the end of effective service life. Per the finding of Utah State University, between 250,000 and 300,000 line breaks occur every year in the United States due to aging of the existing water infrastructure, which in turn results in the wastage of huge volumes of potable water each day. According to the American Water Works Association, an estimated $1 trillion investment is necessary to maintain and expand the drinking water service to meet demand over the next 25 years.
It is no doubt an uphill task for the extremely fragmented water utility industry. At present, more than 53,000 water systems in the United States are providing water solutions to customers. The highly fragmented water industry creates operational challenges in meeting or increasing the requirement for replacement, and adding to aging water and wastewater infrastructure.
Water utilities like American Water are quite active in acquiring small water and wastewater providers, as well as making the necessary investments to upgrade the infrastructure of the acquired assets. As of July 31, 2020, the company completed 13 acquisitions, which added 7,800 water and 3,000 wastewater customers to the existing customer base. It is also making regular investments in its service territories, and maintaining water as well as wastewater mains. American Water has plans to invest $8.8-$9.4 billion in the 2020-2024 time period and $20-$22 billion in the next decade.
In addition to American Water, Essential Utilities WTRG is also making regular investments in water and wastewater systems. Its long-term plan is to invest $2.8 billion in the 2020-2022 time period to rehabilitate and strengthen the existing water and natural gas pipeline systems.
Another water utility Middlesex Water MSEX is also very active in upgrading its water infrastructure. The company — through the multi-million infrastructure investment initiative, Water for Tomorrow® Program — is replacing aging infrastructure and strengthening the water distribution system for continued service reliability, resiliency and maintaining water quality.
Price Performance
Shares of American Water have outperformed the industry in the past 12 months.
Zacks Rank and Key Pick
Currently, the company has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A better-ranked water utility is American States Water Company AWR, currently holding a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
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>>> Global water crisis: Investing in water
Investing in sustainable water may help investors as well as the planet.
FIDELITY VIEWPOINTS
07/31/2020
Key takeaways
The world is facing critical water shortages, a situation that is likely to get worse with a booming global population and climate change.
The goal of providing safe, clean water for people and agriculture is critical to the planet—and one that many companies are working on.
Water treatment, smart infrastructure, and efficient delivery are key areas where companies are working to provide solutions.
The water on the planet now is the same water that dinosaurs were drinking—and it's the only water that will ever be here.
Oceans account for 97% of Earth's water. Most, 2.5%, of the planet's fresh water, is locked in the polar ice caps, in the soil, or irreversibly polluted. That means, as of now, 0.5% of all the water on the planet is potentially usable by people, animals, and plants.
Innovative solutions to water scarcity
Portfolio manager Janet Glazer discusses investing in companies creating innovative responses to global water scarcity.
"The global water supply is finite and there is no new water," says Janet Glazer, portfolio manager for the Fidelity® Water Sustainability Fund (FLOWX). The fund invests in companies that are helping drive greater efficiency, extending the lifecycle, improving infrastructure, and developing disruptive technologies.
Viewpoints caught up with Glazer to talk about the potential investment opportunities in water and why doing good for the planet can be good for investors.
What are the trends driving the increasing need for water sustainability?
I think we're at a tipping point when it comes to global water scarcity. The 3 main problems exacerbating the crisis of water scarcity include the lack of sufficient infrastructure, a booming population, and climate change. These factors are going to put an enormous strain on an already fragile water system.
The world's population is expected to increase by 2 billion over the next 30 years to almost 10 billion. People are already dying from lack of clean water and sanitation and the situation is expected to get worse.
One in 3 people (2.2 billion) lack access to safe, readily available water.1
Six in 10 lack safely managed sanitation.2
2 million people, mostly children, die every single year either from lack of water or from disease they got from tainted drinking water.3
2.7 billion people live without access to fresh water at least 1 month per year.4
The good news is that there has been some progress. Since 2000, 1.8 billion people have gained access to drinking water services and 2.1 billion have gotten access to basic sanitation services.5
But severe climate issues are exacerbating the risk. Because of this, we're seeing increasing demands from governments around the world asking for help—in particular, help from private companies. That's because there's an immediate need to address the health and safety of global populations while public budgets and spending are under pressure.
Are there any specific companies and industries that you think stand to benefit? And why?
Neptune Technology is a business inside of Roper Technologies (ROP). They are a leader in the smart water metering space and serve more than 4,000 water utilities across North America.
Water meters are remarkably complex and there has been a migration from manually reading meters to automatically reading meters. AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) involves digital meters that have 2-way communication so utilities can communicate with consumers to help them save energy and reduce costs. A smart water network can even help find leaks or tampering.
This is a big opportunity as there are only a handful of big players that dominate. In fact, 40% of the space has yet to be penetrated. So the growth runway is there.
What are companies doing to help solve the water scarcity problem? What more can they do?
There are so many different companies globally helping to combat the water-scarcity crisis—from a variety of sectors too. They are developing new treatment technologies, smart water networks, desalination systems, non-revenue water products, metering solutions, outsourcing systems, and testing equipment.
Water treatment involves the treatment of water and wastewater through its life cycle to remove harmful contaminants and the buildup of harmful deposits.
Evoqua (AQUA) is an example of a company that may benefit from the need to remove chemicals including PFAS (aka "forever chemicals") from our water. They have a full suite of technologies such as reverse osmosis, ion exchange, granular active carbon, and oxidation processes. This is a growing pipeline of opportunity for them with heightened awareness from government.
In terms of smart software and digital applications, Danaher (DHR) is one example. It owns Hach, which produces the Claros water software platform that provides water intelligence for customers to help with regulatory compliance, cost savings, and equipment maintenance. Their system enables customers to collect, access and share data, as well as remotely manage treatment processes efficiently in real time, 24/7. The last example has to do with smart infrastructure. Due to insufficient and old infrastructure, about 30%– 40% of water worldwide becomes non-revenue water according to the International Energy Agency. Non-revenue water is water that is lost due to leaks in the pipes, unauthorized use, corruption, or inefficiencies. This is where a SmartBallTM technology from a company called Xylem (XYL) comes in.
In 2015, Rand Water, the largest water utility in Africa embarked on its largest pipeline condition assessment investigation, examining a little over 2,200 kilometers of Rand's high pressurized pipeline network. They used Xylem's SmartBallTM, which is a multi-sensor tool used to detect and locate the acoustic signatures related to leaks and gas pockets. It helped find a solution to a costly problem that was impacting Africa's largest water utility.
What does this mean in terms of growth and profitability?
It's estimated that industry revenue could grow 4%–6% per year for a long time and, I think, companies that are able to innovate and provide new science, technology, and intelligence-enabled solutions will grow by multiples of that rate.
It encompasses a global and diverse set of businesses. I think quality companies with strong management teams working on the high end of the water technology curve are set to dominate with stronger growth, margins, and valuations over time.
What do you look for in a company you're considering for the fund?
There are a lot of things I think about when considering what to own in the fund but I think there are 4 main elements I focus on.
Capital allocation. I look at how well the company generates free cash flow and how well it has allocated capital throughout its history.
Management strength and company processes, values, and culture. I'm aiming to find businesses where there is a very disciplined approach with a lot of autonomy to enable nimbleness.
Industry dynamics and types of businesses the companies play in. In particular, I think about how wide moats are, how commoditized the businesses are, how durable the growth is, how much capital is needed to grow, how do they compete and segment their markets—and how all of this has resulted in a strong financial model.
Innovation and how they think about existing competencies versus disrupting new norms. And are they being surgical in the areas they go after vs. a holistic "build it and they will come" mentality.
Are there any specific risks associated with investments in water sustainability?
While the secular theme of water scarcity is powerful, the companies do have cyclicality by virtue of the end markets they are exposed to as well as geographies and regions where they have a presence. I try to minimize those risks in the fund with deep, fundamental research.
What is your outlook for the water industry and its quest to help solve the world's water challenges?
I have a very positive outlook for the water industry as it relates to growth of innovation and new technologies that will aid in solving some of our biggest water challenges like water scarcity, resilience, and affordability.
I think Americans tend to focus on the US but when you expand the aperture to the globe, in countries like India or China, where water is a top priority, you see the government commitments to investing in both operating and capital expenditures.
That being said, my optimism is grounded in a very realistic view on the global crisis that is in front of us today, making the call to action more important now than it ever has been.
Fidelity® Water Sustainability Fund: Top 10 holdings
DANAHER CORP (DHR)
IDEX CORPORATION (IEX)
HALMA PLC
ROPER TECHNOLOGIES INC (ROP)
AMERICAN WATER WORKS CO (AWK)
PENTAIR PLC
ROCKWELL AUTOMATION (ROK)
XYLEM INC (XYL)
EVOQUA WATER TECHNOLOGIES (AQUA)
REXNORD CORP (RXN)
As of June 30, 2020. Any holdings, asset allocation, diversification breakdowns or other composition data shown are as of the date indicated and are subject to change at any time. They may not be representative of the fund's current or future investments. The Top 10 holdings do not include money market instruments or futures contracts, if any. Depository receipts are normally combined with the underlying security. Some breakdowns may be intentionally limited to a particular asset class or other subset of the fund's entire portfolio, particularly in multi-asset class funds where the attributes of the equity and fixed income portions are different.
Janet Glazer is a sector leader and portfolio manager in the Equity division at Fidelity Investments. In this role, Ms. Glazer is the global cyclicals sector leader and portfolio manager on the Select Industrials Portfolio, Fidelity Advisor Industrials Fund, and the VIP Industrials Portfolio. She is also responsible for the coverage of multi-industrial companies within the industrials sector.
Prior to assuming her current responsibilities, Ms. Glazer worked as a research analyst at Pyramis Global Advisors, a Fidelity Investments Company. In this capacity, she was responsible for equity research coverage of US and Latin American industrials, including conglomerates, multi-industry, aerospace and defense, machinery, building products, transports, professional services, engineering and construction, transportation logistics, and transportation infrastructure. Previously, Ms. Glazer analyzed the global energy sector, researching alternative energy, refining, and coal equities. She joined Fidelity as a research analyst intern, covering Asian technology, at Pyramis in 2010. Before joining Fidelity, Ms. Glazer was a senior manager at E*TRADE Financial, where she was in charge of global trading and portfolios. Ms. Glazer earned her bachelor of science degree in humanities, with a focus on behavioral economics, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and her master of business administration degree from MIT's Sloan School of Management.
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>>> American Water Arm & Flo by Moen Unite to Stop Water Wastage
Zacks
July 8, 2020
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/american-water-arm-flo-moen-133401777.html
American Water Works AWK announced that its unit, American Water Resources has entered into a partnership with Flo by Moen. The primary objective of the partnership is to offer its customers the all-in-one water leak detection system, Flo by Moen Smart Water Shutoff.
The Smart Water Shutoff is a tool that will assist customers to detect water leaks within their home’s plumbing, avoid over usage that can result in unexpected increase in water bills and conserve freshwater resources that may be wasted due to undetected leaks.
Aim to Save Potable Water
The undetected average household water leaks result in wastage of nearly 10,000 gallons of water per year. When the Smart Water Shutoff is installed in a home’s main water supply line, the device provides round-the-clock, reliable monitoring of water usage, temperature, pressure, and flow to provide peace of mind that a home is being protected from water damage.
Due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, people are staying at home to check the spread of the virus. In addition, the hot summer season will further increase the demand for water from the residential group. Amid the rising usage of potable water, this tool will stop the wastage of potable water and help lower utility bills of an average household.
Aging Water Infrastructure
The U.S. water and wastewater infrastructure is aging, and a major portion of the same is nearing the end of effective life. Per a finding from American Society of Civil Engineers, there are 240,000 water main breaks per year in the United States, resulting in the wastage of more than 2 trillion gallons of treated drinking water.
So, it is quite essential to make repairs and upgrade old and soiled water and wastewater mains to prevent wastage, as well as lower the possibility of potable water contamination. American Water is quite active in making regular investments in its service territories and maintaining the water mains. American Water has plans to invest $8.8-$9.4 billion in the 2020-2024 time period and $20-$22 billion in the next decade. These investments will allow it to maintain and expand its existing water infrastructure and provide reliable water services to the expanding customer base.
In addition to American Water, Essential Utilities WTRG is also making regular investments in water and wastewater systems. Its long-term plan is to invest $2.8 billion in the 2020-2022 time period to rehabilitate, and strengthen the existing water and natural gas pipeline systems. Similarly, California Water Service Group CWT is planning to invest within $260-$290 million in 2020 for strengthening its existing water infrastructure.
Price Performance
Shares of American Water have outperformed the industry in the past 12 months.
Zacks Rank & Key Pick
Currently, the company has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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>>> SJW Group (SJW), through its subsidiaries, provides water utility services in the United States. It engages in the production, purchase, storage, purification, distribution, wholesale, and retail sale of water and wastewater services. The company also provides non-tariffed services, including water system operations, maintenance agreements, and antenna site leases; contracted services and sewer operations to water utilities in Connecticut; and a Linebacker, subscription service line protection plan for public drinking water customers, as well as offers repair or replace a leaking or broken water service line, curb box, curb box cover, meter pit, meter pit cover, and meter pit valve. Its water supply consists of groundwater from wells, surface water from watershed run-off and diversion, reclaimed water, and imported water purchased from the Santa Clara Valley Water District. The company offers water service to approximately 231,000 connections that serve approximately one million people residing in portions of the cities of San Jose and Cupertino, as well as in the cities of Campbell, Monte Sereno, Saratoga, and the Town of Los Gatos; and adjacent unincorporated territories in the County of Santa Clara in the State of California. In addition, it provides water service to approximately 18,000 connections, which serve 54,000 people in a service area comprising 246 square miles in the region between San Antonio and Austin, Texas; and 137,000 connections that serve approximately 480,000 people in 80 municipalities in Connecticut and Maine, and approximately 3,000 wastewater connections in Southbury, Connecticut. Further, the company owns undeveloped land in California and Tennessee; and owns and operates commercial buildings and warehouse properties in Tennessee. The company was formerly known as SJW Corp. and changed its name to SJW Group in November 2016. SJW Group was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.
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>>> Aqua America / Essential Utilities - Post-Merger Aqua America: Great Company, High Price
Forbes
by Roger Conrad
1-20-20
https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2020/01/20/post-merger-aqua-america-great-company-high-price/#7aafd95249aa
I’ve personally owned Aqua America (WTR)—which on February 3 will rename itself Essential Utilities (WTRG)—since it was Philadelphia Suburban. And thanks to the wealth-compounding power of dividend reinvestment, my Aqua shares are worth almost 14 times what I initially put in.
I’ve also consistently recommended Aqua in my advisories. And I’ve had the privilege of meeting with current CEO Chris Franklin, as well as several times with the architect of the company’s three-decades-old growth through acquisitions strategy, Nicholas DeBenedictis.
Nick was one of the first employees of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1972, and later served in the cabinet of former Pennsylvania Governor Richard Thornburg. From those experiences, he perceived the opportunity for water utilities like Philadelphia Suburban to profitably consolidate their wildly fragmented sector.
I interviewed Nick for my 2002 book "Power Hungry: Strategic Investing in Telecommunications, Utilities & Other Essential Services." His comments then have proven prescient, both for Aqua and the US water sector overall. In fact, his insights are very much at the root of the success I’ve had investing in water utilities the past two decades.
The focus of my March 10, 2016 article "Water World: An Interview with Chris Franklin, CEO of Aqua America" was the latest phase of the company’s M&A strategy: Acquiring municipally owned water and wastewater distribution systems.
Franklin’s comments then have since proven equally on the mark, though developments have likely taken longer to unfold than he anticipated. The company’s proposed DELCORA acquisition would be the largest water and wastewater deal in state history, if the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission approves as expected.
Today, Aqua serves roughly 3 million water customers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, Illinois, Texas, New Jersey, Indiana and Virginia. In the next few days, however, it will complete its most transforming deal yet: The all-cash $4.28 billion purchase of natural gas distribution utility Peoples Gas, which serves roughly 740,000 homes and businesses in western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky.
I first discussed the Peoples acquisition when I recommended Aqua as a Conservative focus stock in the November 2018 issue of Conrad’s Utility Investor. Since then, shares have appreciated by more than 50 percent. And I’m convinced as ever that my initial bullish observations will prove accurate.
The purchase will be immediately accretive to Aqua’s earnings, adding a gas distribution franchise with annual rate base growth of 8 to 10 percent for the next few years. The merger did take somewhat longer to close than management’s initial projection of "mid-2019." But at the end of the day, the deal closed without significant new conditions and after Peoples secured an amicable rate deal.
Aqua also attracted a $750 million equity investment from the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. That reduced prospective deal financing costs.
So has the sharp reduction in Aqua’s cost of debt capital over the past year. That point is best demonstrated by the drop in yield to maturity for its bonds of May 2049, from roughly 4.3 percent when they were issued in late April 2019 to just 3.5 percent this past week.
Adding Peoples should also open up a new range of acquisition targets for Aqua as it adds new geography. And the combined company will also benefit from the synergies of operating gas distribution and water utilities in the same area. As Essential Utilities, it will start out with nearly 80 percent of rate base in Pennsylvania, where management has built one of the most constructive regulatory relationships of any utility in the country.
The history of M&A is packed with examples of acquiring companies losing their way after entering a new business. And that includes plenty of utilities and essential service companies.
Regulated natural gas and water utility convergence, however, has a successful track record. In fact, it’s likely that buying Peoples will accelerate Aqua’s already upper single digit underlying earnings growth rate, possibly by a couple percentage points. And the merger increases the combined company’s appeal as a potential takeover target as well.
I’ve mentioned Exelon Corp (EXC) before as a likely eventual suitor for Aqua. Early in the previous decade, that company shifted its strategy to focusing on growing its regulated electricity transmission and distribution rate base rather than adding nuclear generating capacity, acquiring the former Pepco Holdings in March 2016.
Buying Aqua, which has less than one-quarter its market capitalization, would greatly accelerate that goal. And there’s even a potential human link, as former CEO DeBenedictis was once an employee and board member of Exelon.
So what’s not to like about a company that just accelerated its long-term growth rate and reduced business risk at a low cost, and is a perpetual takeover candidate? Two words: Extreme valuation.
Following regulatory approval of the Peoples merger, Aqua shares surged to a price more than 35 times expected 2020 earnings per share. That’s the highest multiple in the company’s history and compares to a likely 8 to 10 percent post-merger growth rate.
Today, there are a third fewer publicly traded water utilities than when Mr. DeBenedictis compared his sector to collector cars in my book Power Hungry. And Aqua’s current valuation is very much in line with the rest of the group, including American Water Works (NYSE: AWK) at 34.2 times expected 2020 earnings. In fact, it’s cheap compared to neighboring York Water (NSDQ: YORW) selling at 40 times.
Scarcity plus little real operating risk is why I plan to continue reinvesting my Aqua/Essential dividends, rather than selling. But it’s very difficult to see shares making real headway any time soon from these levels. Neither is the stock attractive for income now yielding just 1.85 percent.
That’s why my advice for anyone wanting to buy into this otherwise great company is to be patient for a better price. Note changing the name from Aqua to Essential Utilities is a not a taxable event and won’t change either ownership or dividends paid.
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>>> Top 3 ETFs for Investing in Water in 2018
Investopedia
BY SHEILA OLSON
Aug 14, 2019
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/etfs/top-water-etfs/?utm_campaign=quote-yahoo&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=referral&yptr=yahoo
It's impossible to overstate our dependence on water. Even though roughly 70% of the earth is covered by water, only a tiny fraction of 1% is fresh and readily accessible to sustain over 7 billion people.
In fact, the United Nations authored a report in 2015 suggesting that the world may only have 60% of its required water by 2030, absent major global policy changes. The bottom line is that water is a precious and increasingly scarce commodity, so now might be the right time to consider adding it to your portfolio for long-term growth.
More investment advisors are recommending commodities as a dedicated asset class to hedge other assets in your overall portfolio. If you're looking at diversifying your commodities holdings to include exposure to water, you could look at individual water utilities stocks if you have the time and inclination – or you could check out the emerging class of water exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to hedge your bets.
Here are three of the more prominent water ETFs for investors to consider. While they've been volatile in 2018, they have delivered stronger returns over the last five years and stand to benefit when the sector picks up. All figures are as of Aug. 28, 2018.
1. Invesco Water Resources ETF (PHO)
This is the largest and arguably the most popular water ETF, with over $865 million in assets under management. Unlike other water funds, PHO is U.S.-centric, with a basket of 37 holdings that tilts toward mid- and smaller-cap companies, heavy on machinery and utilities and light on industrials. PHO's top 10 holdings comprise almost 60% of the portfolio; Waters Corporation (WAT), Roper Technologies (ROP) and Danaher Corp. (DHR) are the three biggest holdings. Shares have been volatile year-to-date and are currently up modestly, by 4.78%. Shares have all posted gains over the 1-year, 3-year and 5-year period, rising 16.70%, 10.48% and 7.11%, respectively.
2. Invesco S&P Global Water ETF (CGW)
As the name suggests, this fund tracks the S&P Global Water Index and invests in companies of all market caps that stand to benefit from the increased demand for water, including water quality and delivery infrastructure. Although CGW has global exposure, it is heavily weighted to the U.S. (over 47% of its holdings) and the U.K. (roughly 14%). There are currently 52 companies in the fund's basket, with the top 10 holdings accounting for over 50% of its overall holdings; American Water Works (AWK), Xylem (XYL) and Danaher Corp. (DHR) are the three biggest holdings. The company has nearly $600 million in assets under management. So far in 2018, shares are little changed, down 0.90%. The fund has delivered one-, three- and five-year annualized returns of 7.11%, 9.31% and 9.27%, respectively.
3. Invesco Global Water ETF (PIO)
The PIO portfolio, with over $183 million in assets under management, tracks the Nasdaq OMX Global Water Index and focuses on global companies that create products for water conservation and purification. As you might expect, the portfolio is heavily tilted toward industrials and utilities, with a strong preference for large-cap growth and value. The portfolio is pretty concentrated as well, with the top 10 holdings accounting for almost 55% of its assets. There are 43 holdings. Top names include Danaher Corporation (DHR), Ecolab Inc. (ECL) and Pentair PLC (PNR). While PHO is preferred by many investors, PIO is a good play for investors with confidence in the fund's top holdings. Shares are little changed, up 0.15% year-to-date. Longer-term the results are better. The fund has delivered one-, three- and five-year annualized returns of 9.37%, 5.35% and 7.03%, respectively.
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>>> Xylem Inc. engages in the design, manufacture, and servicing of engineered products and solutions for the water and wastewater applications. It operates in three segments: Water Infrastructure, Applied Water, and Measurement & Control Solutions. The Water Infrastructure segment offers various products, including water and wastewater pumps; controls and systems; filtration, disinfection, and biological treatment equipment; and mobile dewatering equipment under the Flygt, Godwin, Wedeco, Sanitaire, and Leopold names for the transportation and treatment of water. The Applied Water segment provides pumps, valves, heat exchangers, controls, and dispensing equipment systems under the Goulds Water Technology, Bell & Gossett, A-C Fire Pump, Standard Xchange, Lowara, Jabsco, and Flojet brand names for residential and commercial building services, and industrial water applications. The Measurement & Control Solutions segment provides smart metering, networked communications, and measurement and control technologies, as well as critical infrastructure technologies that allow customers to use their distribution networks for the delivery, monitoring, and control of critical resources, such as water, electricity, and natural gas. It also offers software and services, including cloud-based analytics, remote monitoring, data management, leak detection, and pressure monitoring solutions and testing equipment, as well as sells smart lighting solutions. This segment sells its products under the EmNet, Pure, Sensus, Smith Blair, Valor Water, Visenti, WTW, and YSI brand names. The company markets and sells its products through a network of direct sales force, resellers, distributors, and value-added solution providers in the United States, Europe, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. Xylem Inc. is headquartered in Rye Brook, New York.
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>>> Aquanomix and AMIAD Water Systems join forces!
January 22, 2018
https://aquanomix.com/aquanomix-amiad-water-systems-join-forces/
AMIAD USA Inc. AND AQUANOMIX JOIN FORCES TO TRANSFORM INDUSTRIAL WATER MANAGEMENT
Charlotte, N.C., (January 22, 2018) … Amiad USA Inc., a global leader in water treatment and filtration solutions, and Aquanomix LLC, a technology leader pioneering the Internet of Things (IOT) in water management, announce a strategic partnership that will transform cooling tower water management.
The two companies will combine their products in GenesisTM– a hardware and software system – provides the user with a real-time risk management platform that offers greater protection for critical cooling systems. The system will increase efficiency, save costs and reduces the risks of biological activity in cooling systems. The product will be available March 1, 2018.
“Symphony GenesisTM is the first system that marries water treatment hardware with optimization software in one easy to use package” said Michael Poth, Amiad USA President. “We anticipate great interest from anyone who treats water in cooling tower installations.”
The partnership will leverage Amiad’s engineering and development capabilities and the revolutionary SymphonyTM cloud-based, water-monitoring platform
Water management programs for cooling tower systems address four key elements: scale, corrosion, microbiology, and fouling. Historically, responsibility for these critical elements has been divided between mechanical and chemical areas of discipline. Chemistry takes care of scale, corrosion, and microbiology control. Mechanical filtration removes fouling components, such as dirt and other airborne particulates, which can act as nutrient sources for microbiological organisms. GenesisTM is the first product to monitor all four elements in a single system.
“By joining forces, we have enabled our customers with an intuitive risk management platform” said Rob O’Donnell, Aquanomix CEO. “We believe this product could become the industry benchmark.”
“We’ve blended data management and proven filtration technology” added Poth. “Genesis will provide critical data to property managers, building owners, and risk managers who can expect to lower their operating costs because they have reduced water and energy use.”
Each partner plays a key role in production and distribution. Amiad makes the complete skids – piping, filtration, pumps, and more – for the system. Aquanomix provides sensors and hardware for the monitoring system and the software. Customers can purchase Symphony GenesisTM through the Aquanomix distribution network. Support for software is through Aquanomix’s Davidson, NC headquarters, and on-site support of the system is provided by both companies.
About Amiad
Amiad USA Inc. is the North American branch of Amiad Water Systems, a leading producer of automatic, self-cleaning water treatment and filtration products and systems. Through its engineering skills and ability to innovate, Amiad provides cost-effective, green solutions for the industrial, municipal, irrigation, oil and gas, and ballast water markets. In these segments, its patented products are being integrated into the core of systems for filtration and water treatment, micro-irrigation, membrane protection, wastewater and potable water treatment, cooling systems, and sea water filtration.
Headquartered in Mooresville, N.C., Amiad USA Inc.provides these solutions through a comprehensive network of distributors to customers throughout North America.
About Aquanomix
Aquanomix is an environmental technology company that delivers water optimization and energy-saving platforms for water-based systems. Aquanomix has pioneered the emerging water reuse market in the U.S. marketplace. The company is best known for its Nexus Number, which delivers the building’s water quality and heat exchanger efficiency data into a single portal, straight to the building’s owners and operators.
Headquartered in Davidson, N.C., Aquanomix developed the SymphonyTM platform to explore, define, and predict intrinsic relationships among environmental, operating, and economic factors that drive cooling water generation through real-time data aggregation and analysis.
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>>> Middlesex Water Company, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates regulated water utility and wastewater systems. It operates in two segments, Regulated and Non-Regulated. The Regulated segment engages in collecting, treating, and distributing water on a retail and wholesale basis to residential, commercial, industrial, and fire protection customers in parts of New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. This segment also includes regulated wastewater systems in New Jersey and Delaware. The Non-Regulated segment provides non-regulated contract services for the operation and maintenance of municipal and private water and wastewater systems in New Jersey and Delaware. Middlesex Water Company was founded in 1897 and is headquartered in Iselin, New Jersey. <<<
>>> The York Water Company is an investor-owned water utility in the United States. The primary business of the Company is to impound, purify to meet or exceed safe drinking water standards and distribute water. As of December 31, 2016, it also owned and operated three wastewater collection systems and two wastewater treatment systems. As of December 31, 2016, it operated within its territory, which covered 39 municipalities within York County, Pennsylvania and nine municipalities within Adams County, Pennsylvania. Its two wastewater treatment facilities are located in East Manchester and Lower Windsor Townships. It provides sewer billing services. It has a service line protection program, which allows customers to pay a fixed monthly fee, and it will repair or replace damaged customer service lines. As of December 31, 2016, it obtained the bulk of its water supply from both the South Branch and East Branch of the Codorus Creek, which together had a daily flow of 73 million gallons. <<<
>>> American States Water Co. is a holding company, which engages in the purchase, production, distribution, and sale of water. It operates through the following segments: Water, Electric, and Contracted Services. The company was founded on December 1, 1929 and is headquartered in San Dimas, CA. <<<
>>> American Water Works Co. (AWK), the largest publicly traded U.S. water utility, boosted third-quarter profit after completing four acquisitions.
Net income from continuing operations gained 4.5 percent to $156.6 million, or 87 cents a share, compared with a year ago, the Voorhees, New Jersey-based company said today in a statement. Revenue increased 2.9 percent to $846.2 million.
American Water added about 2,200 customers through its four acquisitions in the quarter and received the company’s 11th military base contract, according to the statement.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-06/american-water-quarterly-income-advances-with-four-acquisitions.html?cmpid=yhoo
>>> Quest Water (QWTR) Signs Agreement To Build And Operate Atmospheric Water Bottling Plant In Cuba
Sept 15, 2016
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/quest-water-qwtr-signs-agreement-to-build-and-operate-atmospheric-water-bottling-plant-in-cuba-2016-09-15?siteid=bigcharts&dist=bigcharts
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Quest Water Global, Inc. (QWTR) ("Quest" and/or "Quest Water" and or "Company"), an innovative water technology company, and developer of the solar-powered water purification and desalination technology AQUAtap™ and the WEPS [™] Atmospheric Water Extraction and Purification System, announced today that the Company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") to build and operate a commercial water bottling facility in Havana, Cuba utilizing atmospheric water as the source. The atmospheric water bottling facility will be the first known water supply and bottling plant in the western hemisphere obtaining its water source through the extraction of atmospheric humidity. The facility expects to commence with an output capacity of 1.1 million liters of water per month.
The Cuban water bottling operation will be a Joint Venture ("JV") between Quest Water Global, Euroven Financial Group ("Euroven"), a syndicate of individuals, and atmospheric clean water pioneer Thomas W. Angell, who has been working for the past decade to make innovative technologies available that provide safe drinking water. Euroven will provide the funding capacity and ability to expand the business model on a Caribbean-wide scale, while Angell brings his expertise and knowhow of delivering clean water solutions to water scarce regions worldwide. Quest Water will provide access to, and maintenance of, the Company's proprietary WEPS™ technology, be the certifiers of the quality and integrity of the produced water, and the trainers of the facility operators and technicians."
"The conditions in Cuba are ideal for a commercial atmospheric water bottling facility," said John Balanko, Quest Water CEO & President. "The atmospheric humidity in the country is predictable and we believe that clean water can be harvested in large quantities on a consistent basis from ambient air at the proposed plant."
The planned facility's state-of-the-art bottling equipment will allow the Joint Venture to commence operations with a production rate estimated at approximately 12,000 bottles per hour in the 500ml format. This equates to 96,000 bottles per day or 88,000 cases of 24, 500ml bottles per month. It is anticipated that four DX150 WEPS™ systems will be installed. Together, these systems can produce approximately 40,000 liters of water per day based on the average climatic conditions in Havana. The bottling facility will also utilize 100% biodegradable bottles that break down completely within six months after use with no residual effects to the environment.
"The growing global demand for pure, clean bottled water offers significant revenue opportunities in the region," said Peter Miele, Quest Water Global Co-Founder and Executive Vice President. "Our WEPS™ technology competes economically and environmentally with conventional bottled water plants and desalination facilities. In addition to creating a sustainable and reliable water source, the WEPS™ process does so with low power consumption, is a chemical free product with no harmful by-products, has no impact on local natural water resources, and comes with minimal maintenance requirements."
The proposed Joint Venture intends to open a commercial atmospheric bottling plant in Havana, Cuba within the next 6 months. The JV will be owned 60% by Euroven, 12.5% by Thomas W. Angell, 12.5% by Quest Water Global, and 15% by a syndicate of individuals. The parties will now work toward signing a definitive agreement to move the project forward.
About Euroven Financial Corporation Euroven Financial Corporation provides funding capabilities and the ability to expand the business model on a Caribbean-wide scale, with the exception of Haiti, through the company's vast business network. Other disciplines include retail and wholesale contacts for the marketing and sales of the finished product.
About Quest Water Global Inc. Quest Water Global Inc., and its wholly-owned operating subsidiary Quest Water Solutions Inc., is an innovative water technology company that provides sustainable and environmentally sound solutions to water scarce regions. We use proven technologies to create economically viable products that address the critical shortage of clean water in water-scarce regions and developing countries. Quest's goal is to address the vital issue of water quality and water supply by providing an alternative, sustainable source of pure water at the smallest possible environmental cost, while becoming a leading provider of decentralized, turnkey solutions using alternative energy for the production, purification, desalination, and distribution of clean, potable water. For more information on Quest Water visit our website at www.QuestWaterSolutions.com
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CDNL is also clean water with his red bird system. They have CRB-10 & CRB-20. They signed deal 28.8 million with CAMERON. They will also install in NIGERIA, PANAMA,AFRICA, CHAINA AND US. JV with HSVW company in chaina. Very fast growing company. They made in US and CHAINA. This company will uplist in NASDQE next year.
>>> Quest Water Global, Inc., (QWTR) a water technology company, provides solutions that address the shortage of clean drinking water in developing countries. The company focuses on manufacturing and selling AQUAtap community drinking water station, a solar-powered water purification and distribution system; and WEPS, a water extraction and purification system that produces clean drinking water from humidity in the atmosphere. The company?s systems have applications in rural and urban community water supply, water supply for household needs, remote work site camps, and water supply for disaster relief. It offers its community drinking water station to various markets, including non-governmental organizations, governmental agencies, land developers, local communities, and local water suppliers in Angola; and water extraction and purification system to commercial bottled water operations, agricultural irrigation, industrial capture and reuse, and bulk residential supply markets. The company was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in West Vancouver, Canada.
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>>> IDEX Corporation (IEX), through its subsidiaries, provides various pumps, flow meters, other fluidics systems and components, and engineered products worldwide. Its Fluid & Metering Technologies segment designs, produces, and distributes positive displacement pumps, flow meters, injectors, other fluid-handling pump modules and systems, and specialty valve products, as well as provides flow monitoring and other services for the food, chemical, general industrial, water and wastewater, agricultural, and energy industries. The company?s Health & Science Technologies segment designs, produces, and distributes precision fluidics, rotary lobe pumps, centrifugal and positive displacement pumps, roll compaction, and drying systems for use in beverage, food processing, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics; pneumatic components and sealing solutions, such as pumping solutions for analytical instrumentation, clinical diagnostics, and drug discovery; biocompatible medical devices and implantables; and air compressors for medical, dental, and industrial applications. This segment also provides optical components and coatings for scientific research, defense, biotechnology, life sciences, aerospace, telecommunications, and electronics manufacturing applications; laboratory and commercial equipment for the production of micro and nano scale materials; precision photonic solutions for life sciences, research, and defense markets; and precision gear and peristaltic pump technologies. Its Fire & Safety/Diversified Products segment produces firefighting pumps and controls, rescue tools, lifting bags, and other components and systems for the fire and rescue industry; engineered stainless steel banding and clamping devices for various industrial and commercial applications; and precision equipment for dispensing, metering, and mixing colorants, as well as paints for use in retail and commercial businesses. The company was founded in 1987 and is based in Lake Forest, Illinois. <<<
>>> Pentair plc (PNR) operates as a diversified industrial manufacturing company in the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company operates through Valves & Controls, Technical Solutions, Flow & Filtration Solutions, and Water Quality Systems segments. It designs, manufactures, markets, and services valves, fittings, automation and controls, and actuators, as well as provides engineering, design, inspection, maintenance, and repair services for the oil and gas, power, chemical and pharmaceutical, mining, marine, and food and beverage industries. The company also offers solutions for the filtration, separation, and flow and fluid management challenges in agriculture, food and beverage processing, water supply and disposal, and various industrial applications. It provides light duty diaphragm pumps and pressure boosters, high-flow turbine pumps, and solid handling pumps, as well as advanced filtration, oil and gas separation, membrane technology, energy recovery, and quality control and instrumentation solutions. In addition, it designs, manufactures, markets, and services water system products and solutions to meet filtration and fluid management challenges in food and beverage, water, swimming pools, and aquaculture applications, as well as offers design and consulting services. Further, the company offers mild steel, stainless steel, aluminum and non-metallic enclosures, cabinets, cases, subracks, backplanes, and thermal management systems that guard and protect sensitive electronics and electronic equipment, as well as heat management solutions to provide thermal protection to temperature sensitive fluid applications for the industrial, energy, residential and commercial, and infrastructure sectors. Pentair plc was founded in 1966 and is based in Manchester, the United Kingdom.<<<
>>> Geberit (GBERF) - The company offers sanitary systems, such as installation systems, cisterns and mechanisms, faucets and flushing systems, and waste fittings and traps; and piping systems, including building drainage systems and supply systems. It also provides sanitary ceramics comprising bathroom ceramics and ceramics complementary products. The company sells its products to wholesalers, plumbers, planners, architects, building owners, and end users. Geberit AG was founded in 1874 and is headquartered in Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland. <<<
American Water Works -- >>> The Basic Needs Portfolio
By Sean Williams
September 16, 2013
http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/09/16/the-basic-needs-portfolio.aspx
In May, I announced my intention to create a portfolio that embodied life's basic needs. Understandably, many of the truly basic needs in our everyday lives have transcended far beyond just the need for water and shelter. To that end, over a period of 10 weeks I detailed 10 diverse companies that I think will outperform the broad-based S&P 500 over a three-year period because of their ability to outperform in both bull and bear markets, and command incredible pricing power in nearly any economic environment.
If you'd like a closer look at what my reasoning was behind each selection, you can do so by clicking on any, or all, of the following portfolio components:
•Waste Management
•Intel
•NextEra Energy
•MasterCard
•Chevron
•Select Medical
•Ford
•American Water Works
•Procter & Gamble
•AvalonBay Communities
As you might have anticipated with a portfolio of basic needs stocks, dividends were once again the talk of the week, with two companies paying out their quarterly distribution and another announcing their third-quarter dividend.
Show me the money!
Although it's been far and away the worst performer thus far, electric utility NextEra Energy (NYSE: NEE ) delivered a $0.66 per-share dividend to shareholders as of today. Electric utilities provide some of life's most basic necessities (electricity), but they also have a tendency to underperform when the market is roaring higher since they're most often viewed as defensive plays. I wouldn't read too much into NextEra's recent weakness, especially considering that its energy portfolio is focused on promoting rapidly growing and clean alternative energies.
In addition to NextEra, shareholders in Chevron (NYSE: CVX ) on Tuesday received their quarterly $1 per-share stipend. On top of receiving this hefty dividend, shareholders were also treated to good news when Chevron announced a settlement with Brazilian lawmakers who levied $17.5 billion in lawsuits against it and Transocean for an oil spill in Nov. 2011 for a mere $42 million. Owning a global oil giant like Chevron does expose investors to the possibility of adverse events like a spill; however, rarely -- with the exception of the BP spill -- do these adverse events translate into monstrous fines and penalties.
We also heard from rental REIT AvalonBay Communities (NYSE: AVB ) this week, which announced a third-quarter dividend of $1.07 that'll be payable to shareholders on Oct. 15 that are on record as of Sept. 30. If I were an AvalonBay shareholder I would be pretty excited about the prospect of 30-year mortgage rates rising. Higher lending rates tend to discourage prospective homebuyers from pulling the trigger and have the effect of pushing those people back into renting. I find it very likely that AvalonBay's pricing power and occupancy rate is only going to improve moving forward.
But don't forget these moves ...
Payment processing facilitator MasterCard (NYSE: MA ) had a particularly strong week after receiving a price target boost on Thursday from Jefferies to $758, with the research firm holding to its "buy" rating on the company. The reason for the target price hike relates to the 85% of worldwide transactions still being conducted in cash, giving MasterCard ample opportunities for growth over the coming decades. This is a point I've touched on numerous times and is a primary reason I selected MasterCard to this basic needs portfolio. Also, as a bonus, keep in mind that since MasterCard is a payment processor and not a direct lender, it has zero worries about consumer credit quality.
Also not to be overlooked, water utility American Water Works (NYSE: AWK ) announced an increase to its revolving credit limit of $250 million to $1.25 billion while also pushing $1.1 billion of existing debt due in October 2017 out an additional 12 months. The move makes sense given the historically low lending rates we're seeing right now. It's even more important if you consider that the water utility business sees most of its growth through synergies from acquisitions, so expanding American Water Works' available credit looks like a smart strategic move.
Back to basics
Despite the S&P 500 having a very good week, this portfolio of conservative and basic needs stocks managed to outperform it, albeit marginally, by 0.1%. So far this portfolio is doing everything expected of it; it's producing substantial dividend income and it's not causing us to lose sleep overnight with wild vacillations. Over the next three years I expect the combination of dividend income and projected outperformance in both boom and bust economies to drive a substantial outperformance over the S&P 500.
Check back next week for the latest update on this portfolio and its 10 components.
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Water Sector -- >>> 4 Water Plays for a Thirsty Portfolio
By Leo Sun
May 3, 2013
Tickers: AWK, PIO, PHO, XYL
http://beta.fool.com/leokornsun/2013/05/03/four-water-plays-for-a-thirsty-portfolio/33148/?source=eogyholnk0000001
When most people think about valuable commodities, they tend to think about gold or oil. Most people neglect the world’s most important commodity -- fresh water.
Although water covers 70% of the Earth’s surface, only 1% of the world’s water is available for drinking. 97.5% of the planet’s water is seawater, and 70% of our available fresh water is frozen in glaciers. Meanwhile, climate change, water pollution, and poor management of water resources has led to a rapid depletion of the world’s fresh water. Parts of the world (including the United States) have been hit with prolonged droughts, which have caused food prices to skyrocket.
Worst of all, the world’s population, currently at 7 billion, is projected to reach 9 billion by 2025. By that time, the UN estimates that 67% of the world’s population will be lacking continual access to fresh water. In addition, the UN has estimated that fresh water demand has risen threefold over the past five decades.
Let’s explore a few ways that investors can benefit from the upcoming fresh water crisis. Since water isn’t a tradeable, priced commodity that can be purchased on the futures market, there are three simple ways that investors can invest in water: infrastructure, utilities and ETFs.
Infrastructure
Water infrastructure companies will become increasingly important in the next decade, since many water pipes within the United States are more than 60 years old, with some exceeding 100 years old. This has led to water main breaks, sinkholes and leaking pipes across the country. The costs to repair the U.S. water infrastructure, which leaks around 1.7 trillion gallons of water daily, is estimated to be around $1 trillion. The rest of the world faces similar challenges.
Xylem (NYSE: XYL) is a solid pure water infrastructure play that has a presence in 150 countries worldwide. Xylem operates in two business segments - Water Infrastructure and Applied Water Systems. In the first quarter, Xylem earned $0.27 per share, down from $0.36 a year ago, and revenue declined $46 million to $879 million.
Xylem’s Water Infrastructure segment focuses on providing clean water delivery, wastewater transportation and treatment, and analytical instruments. During the first quarter, this segment's revenue declined 6% from the prior year quarter, which the company primarily attributed to U.S. industrial weakness and challenges in the European market. The segment reported lower volumes and higher expenses from acquisitions and investments.
Meanwhile, its Applied Water segment consists of water products and services for residential and commercial buildings, along with industrial and agricultural businesses. Revenue for this segment slid 3% for the same reasons as the Water Infrastructure business. However, U.S. residential buildings and agricultural end markets showed substantial strength that offset some losses.
To most investors, Xylem’s top and bottom figures look mediocre, but it’s important to remember that water stocks are long-term investments that should be held for one or two decades. Meanwhile, Xylem has been focusing on strengthening its brand portfolio. This quarter, it acquired U.K.-based wastewater service PIMS and Australian water and wastewater control company MultiTrode. It also introduced new dewatering solutions from its Godwin and Flygt brands, and new analytical instruments from its YSI and OI brands.
Xylem recently conducted a market survey, in which 88% of respondents stated that the U.S. government should be investing more heavily in improving water infrastructure, with 65% stating that they would accept higher monthly bills to cover the costs.
Utilities
Another simple way to invest in water is through investor-owned water and wastewater utilities. The biggest name in this field is American Water Works (NYSE: AWK). American Water Works operates primarily in the United States and Canada, covering 15 million people in 30 states and two Canadian provinces. The company, founded in 1886, has grown rapidly by buying up local utility companies. In 2012, it acquired 16 new water systems, which added 55,000 customers for the cost of $44.6 million.
In the fourth quarter of 2012, American Water Works’ net income came in at $0.31 per diluted share, down from $0.34 in the prior year quarter. However, revenue rose 7.9% to $2.9 billion. For the full year, the company’s earnings came in at $2.11, up from $1.73 in 2011.
Since the U.S. water infrastructure is aging quickly, American Water Works has invested a lot of capital into upgrading and maintaining its water systems. In 2012, the company invested $929 million in company-funded capital improvements, up from $925 million in the previous year. It completed two major projects in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which cost a combined $176 million. The two projects will benefit over 625,000 people. The company noted that many of those upgrades were to its underground water systems, the importance of which was highlighted last year during Hurricane Sandy.
In 2012, the company’s subsidiary, American Water Resources, was chosen by the New York City Water Board as the office service line protection provider for the city’s five boroughs. This is the largest municipal-partnered water and sewer line protection contract in history, and will take effect in the first quarter of 2013.
Just like Xylem, investors in American Water Works shouldn’t expect big overnight profits. Rather, they should think of the investment like the water utility on a Monopoly board -- steady returns that pile up over time. In the meantime, the company pays a decent quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share.
ETFs
Last but not least, investors should consider two water ETFs for a more diverse slice of the market -- PowerShares Water Resources (NYSEMKT: PHO) and PowerShares Global Water (NYSEMKT: PIO).
PowerShares Water Resources is a domestic play that attempts to invest at least 90% of its total assets into the underlying components of the NASDAQ OMX US Water Index. The ETF is spread out over a wide range of water-related companies that specialize in water treatment, utilities, pipe and pump manufacturing. Considering the urgent necessity of upgrading America’s water infrastructure, this ETF is sure to rise in the long term.
Meanwhile, PowerShares Global Water is focused on international markets. This ETF attempts to invest 90% of its assets into tracking the underlying securities of the NASDAQ OMX Global Water Index. It mainly consists of international water infrastructure stocks that focus on conserving and purifying water for residential, commercial and industrial buildings. It consists of ADRs (American Depositary Receipts) and GDRs (Global Depositary Receipts) of companies based in 24 countries that span across the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia.
You’ll notice that neither ETF has stayed ahead of the S&P 500 over the past three years, which means that these stocks should not comprise the core of your portfolio. Instead, they should be extended period satellite investments.
The Foolish Bottom Line
For now, water stocks are some of the most boring, slowest-growing stocks you can own. However, if you’re a young investor with time on your side, then I recommend picking up some shares of each of these long-term water plays, so you can capitalize on that day in the near future when the world realizes that fresh water, our most precious resource, is more valuable than oil.
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American States Water -- >>> In a World of Scarce Resources, Consider these Stocks
By Robert Ciura
February 13, 2013
Tickers: AWR, ADM, DE, MON
http://beta.fool.com/rciura/2013/02/13/world-scarce-resources-consider-these-stocks/24122/?ticker=MON&source=eogyholnk0000001
The human population was estimated to be nearly 7 billion in 2011 by The World Bank. Last year, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the number to be slightly higher than that. The world’s population keeps growing, and emerging economies continue to develop. As a result, commodity prices have risen in recent years and are likely to keep rising over time. With that in mind, the following companies have business models poised to profit from the reality of scarce resources.
Monsanto (NYSE: MON) is the $55 billion agricultural giant that provides products for farmers worldwide. It operates in two segments, Seeds and Genomics, and Agricultural Productivity. Last October, the company reported its full-year financial results, which were very good.
Total revenues rose more than 14% year over year, and earnings per share climbed more than 28% versus the prior year. Since 2008, Monsanto achieved four-year compound annual growth in sales of 4.4%.
Furthermore, the company got off to a great start in fiscal 2013, reporting first-quarter sales growth of more than 20%. Monsanto’s stock has been on fire recently, rising more than 30% in 2012 and has increased more than 6% to begin 2013.
Archer Daniels Midland (NYSE: ADM) carries a $20 billion market capitalization and manufactures and sells protein meal, vegetable oil, corn sweeteners, flour, biodiesel, and ethanol. In early February, the company reported 2012 second-quarter earnings per share of $0.60, up 18% from the previous year. In addition, the company provided investors with a 9% dividend increase.
Archer Daniels Midland has an impressive dividend track record, having paid dividends for 325 consecutive quarters. The company has raised its dividend every year since 2002. At current prices, the stock looks to be attractive for both value and dividend investors, with a trailing price-to-earnings ratio of less than 15 and a 2.5% yield.
Deere (NYSE: DE) manufactures and distributes agriculture and turf equipment, and construction and forestry equipment, worldwide, commanding a $36 billion market value.
Deere is certainly not an expensive stock, with trailing and forward P/Es of 12 and 10, respectively. In addition, the stock trades for a price-to-earnings growth ratio of 1.13, indicating that the company is priced conservatively in relation to its future growth expectations.
In December, Deere provided investors its annual results, reporting sales and earnings per share growth of 13% and 15%, respectively. In addition, in 2012 Deere raised its dividend by more than 12% and should raise its dividend in time for its next payout.
American States Water Company (NYSE: AWR) provides the most scarce resource of all: water. The company purchases and distributes water in California.
The company is the gold standard for dividend-raisers. American States Water Company has increased its dividend every year since 1955, a streak amounting to 58 consecutive years. Its last dividend raise was an impressive 27% in 2012.
American States Water Company is a small-cap stock with only a $1 billion valuation. Clearly, the company has room to grow, and considering it provides an absolute essential product to society, would be interesting to research for both growth and income investors.
The Bottom Line
As the number of people on this planet keeps rising, its available resources remain constant. There is only so much water and land on this planet available for food production. Developing economies, such as the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) have experienced high economic growth and consequently high demand for commodities such as wheat, corn, and water.
Value investors may prefer Archer Daniels Midland and American States Water Company because of their market-beating dividend yields and reasonable valuations. More growth-oriented investors probably would prefer Monsanto and Deere; their yields are slightly lower, but they offer a compelling combination of high dividend growth and the opportunity to profit handsomely from the global economic growth story. No matter an investor's preference, each of the three companies above has an extremely successful business model and will continue to succeed in a world of scarce resources.
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>>> Water - Good as gold for investors
8/31/2012
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By Jim Jubak
MSN
http://money.msn.com/investing/water-good-as-gold-for-investors
Water: Good as gold for investors
The world's most critical commodity is getting harder to find, which makes it an attractive investment. Here are 10 ways to play it.
Water.
It's the global commodity that most deserves a place in your portfolio -- ahead of gold, iron ore, copper or oil, I'd argue.
And it's also the toughest to invest in. Water isn't traded -- in fact, in many countries it's not even metered. Pure-play water companies are hard to find, especially if you rule out the obvious but slow-growing water utilities. The leading companies in big swaths of the market are industrial conglomerates in which water has historically made up a relatively small share of revenues.
For example, among the top 10 companies in the Guggenheim S&P Global Water (CGW 0.00%, news) exchange-traded fund, which is designed to track the Standard & Poor's Global Water Index, I'd call five of them water utilities and two diversified industrial companies with a presence in water. That leaves only three, or about 30% of the ETF and index, anywhere near the sweet spot in water. (More about what the sweet spots are later in this column.)
How bad is the US drought?
But this is changing.
As the individual parts of the water market get bigger, investors are seeing a wider array of pure plays. For example, orders for desalination equipment to convert seawater into water for drinking and industrial processing hit $5 billion in 2011, according to Global Water Intelligence. Those orders are forecast to hit a record $17 billion in 2016.
And it doesn't hurt that both companies and investors see water bucking the trend of other environmental sectors. As of Aug. 29, the Guggenheim S&P Global Water ETF was up 8.85% from last year, versus a brutal 38.53% drop for the PowerShares WilderHill Clean Energy (PBW 0.00%, news) ETF.
A resource you can't live without
You can put together the investment case for water from the headlines.
Supply is falling. Droughts devastate -- depending on the year -- the United States, Australia, India, China and Argentina. Evidence mounts that the global climate is becoming more volatile, putting historic water-carrying weather patterns such as India's monsoon season, at risk. Supplies of clean water shrink as underground aquifers are mined for limited supplies of water accumulated over millions of years. Clean water supplies also dwindle as existing sources are polluted by farm chemicals, inadequately treated industrial discharge and untreated urban sewage.
Amid all this, demand is rising. According to data from the United Nations, withdrawals of fresh water have tripled in the last 50 years, with demand for fresh water increasing by 64 billion cubic meters (64 trillion liters, or 16.9 trillion gallons) a year. Some of that is from global population growth of about 80 million people a year, at current rates. Some is from changes in lifestyles and eating habits that increase per-capita water consumption. And some is from soaring demand for clean water from farmers, industry and city dwellers. Add in increases in energy production (because tapping sources such as oil sands and biofuels requires more water than extracting from traditional sources of oil and natural gas).
The math is pretty simple: Falling supply and rising demand will drive the price of the commodity higher. Want to know where to invest in water? Follow the flow. In this column, it takes me to 10 water stocks in three categories.
1. Global water utilities
Rising prices for water will produce gains for global water utilities, even if those returns are capped by regulators at a specific return on invested capital. The best bet here is on water utilities that are building out infrastructure in places where water demand is rising most rapidly and new investment represents a large percentage increase over existing investment.
If that sounds like a prescription for investing in water utilities in developing economies, it is.
For example, Manila Water (trading in Manila as MWC.PM), which already supplies water for half the Philippine capital, has recently bought a 47% stake of Vietnamese water distributor Kenh Dong Water Supply and 49% of treatment-plant operator Thu Duc Water. The stock is up 43.86% in the last year.
Or Guangdong Investment (GGDVY 0.00%, news), which supplies Hong Kong's water (and is up 33.97% in the last year). Or Companhia de Saneamento Basico do Estado de São Paulo (SBS 0.00%, news), which collects, treats and supplies water in Brazil's São Paulo state (and is up 60.62% in the last year).
2. Wastewater companies
That math also adds up for investing in companies that handle and treat wastewater. More water consumed means more water as waste. More water demand means more demand for treatment services that turn dirty water back into clean water.
For example, Xylem (XYL), an October 2011 spinoff from ITT (ITT), focuses on moving water from distant sources and through increasingly complex supply systems, then treating and testing it. The company's water infrastructure unit -- which accounts for about half of its revenue -- gets its income from transportation equipment/pumps (73%), treatment (18%) and testing (9%). In 2011, 64% of the company's revenues came from outside the United States, which exposed the company to the recession in European economies (37% of revenue). As a result, the stock was down 5.36% in 2012 as of Aug. 29.
Since most of the company's European business is in the water-infrastructure unit, where customers are water utilities that derive revenue from their customers' water bills, I think the pullback to date is understandable. And it creates a buying opportunity for patient investors. I'll be adding shares of Xylem to my Jubak's Picks Portfolio.
3. Companies making more water
The biggest opportunity suggested by that math is investing in companies that create more clean water. God may not be making any more water, but human beings -- with enough money and energy -- are turning part of the current supply of seawater (and other brackish water) into water fit for drinking or industrial uses.
Current technologies for desalination use huge amounts of energy, so they produce water at a high cost. But when the alternative is moving San Diego to a wetter climate or giving up on the Saudi royal family's dream of an economy that can feed itself and turn its raw commodities into higher-margin chemicals, the high cost of desalinated water is relatively unimportant.
The cost is falling, though. Reverse osmosis, the current desalination technology of choice, produces clean water for about $1 per cubic meter. That's about 10 times the cost of water from traditional sources (which are limited, of course), but about half the price of water from desalination 20 years ago, according to the International Desalination Association.
If you'd like to get your desalination (and general water) exposure as part of an industrial equipment company with its fingers in a lot of infrastructure pies, I'd recommend General Electric (GE). The stock has been a member of my Jubak Dividend Income Portfolio since February.
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If you're looking for more-concentrated exposure to desalination, I'd suggest turning to Singapore, which has become a world leader in the technology, thanks to the challenge of being a tiny city-nation with very limited sources of natural water.
Keppel (KPELY) combines three very timely businesses: construction of deepwater drilling rigs; waste disposal and waste-to-energy in Asia; and water desalination and wastewater treatment in Singapore, the Middle East and China. (The stock is up 2.7% in the last year.)
A more concentrated Singapore water play is Hyflux (HYFXY). The company has just completed a water desalination plant in Algeria and has begun work on a desalination plant in India. Profit in the second quarter climbed 21% year over year. China currently accounts for 20% of the company's revenue, and Hyflux is looking to grow that share to 33% within the next two years. (The shares are down 20.14% in the last year.)
And in building your water portfolio, I wouldn't forget about some longtime favorites, such as pump-maker Flowserve (FLS), and water-meter makers Badger Meter (BMI) and Itron (ITRI).
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>>> PowerShares Global Water (PIO) -
Holdings -
Roper Industries, Inc. Common S
ROP
8.39
Pentair, Ltd. Registered Share
PNR
8.31
Flowserve Corporation Common St
FLS
8.08
VEOLIA ENVIRONN.
VIE.PA
7.68
United Utilities Group PLC
UUGWF.L
6.99
Waters Corporation Common Stock
WAT
4.34
American Water Works Company, I
AWK
4.33
SUEZ ENV. CPY
SEV.PA
4.21
Geberit AG
GEBN
4.18
KURITA WATER INDS LT
KTWIF
4.06
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>>> American States Water Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides water, electric, and contracted services in the United States. It operates in three segments: Water, Electric, and Contracted Services. The company purchases, produces, and distributes water in 75 communities in 10 counties in the State of California; and provides electric service to the City of Big Bear Lake and surrounding areas in San Bernardino County, California. As of December 31, 2013, it served 257,102 water customers and 23,615 electric customers. The company also provides water and/or wastewater services, including the operation, maintenance, renewal, and replacement of the water and/or wastewater systems at various military installations. American States Water Company was founded in 1929 and is headquartered in San Dimas, California. <<<
>>> American Water Works Company, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides water and wastewater services in the United States and Canada. The company?s Regulated Businesses segment offers water and wastewater services to approximately 1,500 communities in 16 states. It operates approximately 80 surface water treatment plants; 500 groundwater treatment plants; 1,000 groundwater wells; 100 wastewater treatment facilities; 1,200 treated water storage facilities; 1,300 pumping stations; 87 dams; and 47,000 miles of mains and collection pipes. This segment serves residential customers; commercial customers, such as shops and businesses; industrial customers, including manufacturing and production operations; public authorities, which comprise government buildings and other public sector facilities; and other water utilities, as well as supplies water to public fire hydrants for firefighting purposes, and private fire customers for use in fire suppression systems in office buildings and other facilities. Its Market-Based Operations segment undertakes contracts to design, build, operate, and maintain water and wastewater facilities for the United States military, municipalities, the food and beverage industry, and other customers; provides services to homeowners and smaller commercial establishments to protect against the cost of repairing broken or leaking water pipes, and clogged or blocked sewer pipes inside and outside their accommodations; and offers biosolids management, transport, and disposal services to municipal and industrial customers, as well as products for cleansing water and wastewater, and wastewater residuals management services. American Water Works Company, Inc. serves approximately 14 million people with drinking water, wastewater, and other water-related services in approximately 40 states and 2 Canadian provinces. The company was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Voorhees, New Jersey. <<<
>>> American Water Works Co. (AWK), the largest publicly traded U.S. water utility, boosted third-quarter profit after completing four acquisitions.
Net income from continuing operations gained 4.5 percent to $156.6 million, or 87 cents a share, compared with a year ago, the Voorhees, New Jersey-based company said today in a statement. Revenue increased 2.9 percent to $846.2 million.
American Water added about 2,200 customers through its four acquisitions in the quarter and received the company’s 11th military base contract, according to the statement.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-06/american-water-quarterly-income-advances-with-four-acquisitions.html?cmpid=yhoo
Name | Symbol | % Assets |
---|---|---|
Ferguson PLC | FERG | 4.52% |
Waters Corp | WAT | 4.40% |
Xylem Inc | XYL | 4.22% |
Ecolab Inc | ECL | 4.19% |
Roper Technologies Inc | ROP | 4.18% |
Agilent Technologies Inc | A | 4.17% |
Companhia De Saneamento Basico Do Estado De Sao Paulo ADR | SBS | 4.00% |
IDEXX Laboratories Inc | IDXX | 3.91% |
Core & Main Inc Class A | CNM | 3.66% |
A.O. Smith Corp | AOS | 3.64% |
Name | Symbol | % Assets |
---|---|---|
Ferguson PLC | FERG | 8.37% |
Danaher Corp | DHR | 8.21% |
Ecolab Inc | ECL | 7.86% |
Roper Technologies Inc | ROP | 7.62% |
Veralto Corp | VLTO | 7.58% |
Core & Main Inc Class A | CNM | 4.50% |
Pentair PLC | PNR | 4.33% |
Waters Corp | WAT | 4.32% |
Xylem Inc | XYL | 4.08% |
IDEX Corp | IEX | 4.00% |
Name | Symbol | % Assets |
---|---|---|
Xylem Inc | XYL | 8.36% |
American Water Works Co Inc | AWK | 7.88% |
United Utilities Group PLC Class A | UU.L | 6.48% |
Severn Trent PLC | SVT.L | 6.40% |
Companhia De Saneamento Basico Do Estado De Sao Paulo ADR | SBS | 5.03% |
Advanced Drainage Systems Inc | WMS | 4.50% |
Ecolab Inc | ECL | 4.43% |
Geberit AG | GEBN.SW | 3.97% |
Stantec Inc | STN.TO | 3.94% |
Essential Utilities Inc | WTRG | 3.84% |
Name | Symbol | % Assets |
---|---|---|
Ferguson PLC | FERG | 7.90% |
Xylem Inc | XYL | 7.75% |
Ecolab Inc | ECL | 7.62% |
American Water Works Co Inc | AWK | 6.84% |
Veolia Environnement SA | VIE.PA | 6.05% |
Geberit AG | GEBN.SW | 5.90% |
Pentair PLC | PNR | 4.30% |
IDEX Corp | IEX | 4.03% |
A.O. Smith Corp | AOS | 3.86% |
United Utilities Group PLC Class A | UU.L | 3.73% |
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