Connecticut Water Service,
Inc. Reports 2006 Earnings
2007 Rate Increase Expected to Boost Revenues
Clinton,
Connecticut, March 16, 2007 – Connecticut Water
Service, Inc. (NASDAQ GS: CTWS) — New England's largest
domestically based, investor owned-water company — reported
income from continuing operations of $6.7 million, or $0.81
per diluted common share, for the year ending December 31,
2006. This is a decrease of approximately $458,000, or $0.07
per diluted common share, from 2005, when income from continuing
operations totaled $7.1 million, or $0.88 per diluted common
share.
Also in 2006,
the Company generated income from discontinued operations
of $243,000, or $0.03 per diluted common share. This amount
stemmed from the completion of the Company’s contractual
obligations to operate the water system of the Town of Barnstable,
Massachusetts. The Company had sold this system, previously
part of its Barnstable Water subsidiary, to the town in 2005.
The source
of decline in 2006 income from continuing operations was the
Water Activities segment of the business. The Company had
expected a decline, which was largely related to the underlying
need for the rate increase. Over the past decade, the Company
had seen the costs of operating its regulated water utility
increase steadily, while the rates it charged customers remained
the same. The imbalance was exacerbated by comparatively wet
and cool weather during the 2006 growing season, which caused
water use and therefore water revenues to decline. In July
2006, the Company filed for its first rate increase in 15
years.
The
Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Eric
W. Thornburg, characterized 2006 as a pivotal year for CTWS.
Mr. Thornburg stated, “As early as 2004, the Company
began to note in its SEC filings that earnings would start
to decline because of increased operating expenses and substantial
capital investments that were not reflected in the prevailing
water rates. The new rates approved by regulators recognize
these costs and investments. The Connecticut Department of
Public Utility Control (DPUC) approval of our rate case settlement
balances the needs of customers and the Company. We now have
new strength as we pursue earnings growth through expansion
and investment in the Water Activities segment.”
The specifics
of the rate filing are contained in the Company’s 2006
Form 10-K. In summary, the Company sought a rate increase
to recover more than $130 million in capital investments,
as well as operating costs that had grown by more than 60
percent. On January 16, 2007, the DPUC issued a final decision
approving a negotiated settlement of the Company’s rate
application. The decision provided for a two-step phase-in
of higher rates over a 15-month period. The first step, which
became effective January 1, 2007, will increase annual revenues
by about $7.1 million over pre-rate case revenues of $49.1
million. The second step, effective April 1, 2008, will increase
annual revenues by approximately $3.8 million. The DPUC’s
decision also provided (through a limited “re-opener”
proceeding to be held in the first quarter of 2008) for the
recovery of costs associated with up to $15.5 million of additional
plant investments made in 2007.
In addition
to the Water Activities segment, the Company’s operations
include two other segments, Real Estate and Services and Rentals.
Both of these segments reported improved income for 2006.
Real Estate income grew by a $2.1 million, or $0.26 per basic
common share, from 2005. This improvement reflected the sale
of land by BARLACO, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company,
to the Town of Barnstable, Massachusetts, for $1.0 million
in February 2006. The Company recorded a net gain of $980,000
on the sale. Additionally, the segment benefited from the
completion of an IRS examination in 2006 that resulted in
no change to the tax liability for the years under examination.
Income from
the Services and Rentals segment grew by $52,000, or $0.01
per basic common share, from 2005. This increase reflected
the continued growth in the Linebacker® service line repair
program, and the receipt of additional contracts to operate
water systems. One such contract was the agreement with the
University of Connecticut to operate its water systems at
the University’s Storrs Campus.
# # #
News media contact:
Daniel J.
Meaney, APR -- Director of Corporate Communications
Connecticut Water Service, Inc.
93 West Main Street, Clinton, CT 06413-1600
(860) 669 8630 Ext. 3016
# # #
Connecticut
Water Service, Inc. & Subsidiaries
 |
 |
 |
Consolidated
Statements of Income
(in thousands except per share data)
|
| |
Year
Ended
December 31, |
|
2006 |
2005 |
 |
 |
| Operating
Revenues |
$46,945 |
$47,453 |
| Utility
Operating Income |
$7,525 |
$10,538 |
| Gain
(Loss) on Property Transactions |
$2,063 |
$
(61) |
| Non-Water
Sales Earnings |
$515 |
$463 |
| Income
From Continuing Operations |
$6,708 |
$7,166 |
| Discontinued
Operations, Net of Tax |
$243 |
$3,158 |
| Net
Income Applicable to Common Shareholders |
$6,913 |
$10,286 |
| Basic
Earnings Per Average Common Share - Continuing
Operations |
$0.81 |
$0.89 |
| Basic
Earnings Per Average Common Share - Discontinued
Operations |
$0.03 |
$0.38 |
| Basic
Total Earnings Per Average Common Share |
$0.84 |
$1.27 |
| Diluted
Earnings Per Average Common Share - Continuing
Operation |
$0.81 |
$0.88 |
| Diluted
Earnings Per Average Common Share - Discontinued
Operations |
$0.03 |
$0.38 |
| Diluted
Total Earnings Per Average Common Share |
$0.84 |
$1.26 |
| Basic
Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding |
8,188 |
8,094 |
| Diluted
Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding |
8,237 |
8,143 |
| Book
Value Per Share |
$11.60 |
$11.52 |
Connecticut Water Service, Inc. &
Subsidiaries
| Condensed
Consolidated Balance Sheets |
| |
|
|
 |
| (In thousands) |
December
31, 2006 |
December
31, 2005 |
 |
| |
|
|
| ASSETS |
|
|
| Net Utility Plant |
$263,187 |
$247,703 |
| Current Assets |
14,150 |
26,146 |
| Other Assets |
37,856 |
32,186 |
 |
| Total
Assets |
$315,193 |
$306,035 |
 |
| |
|
|
| CAPITALIZATION AND LIABILITIES
|
|
|
| Shareholders Equity |
$95,938 |
$94,076 |
| Preferred Stock |
772 |
847 |
| Long-Term Debt |
77,347 |
77,404 |
| Current Liabilities |
12,970 |
13,229 |
| Other Liabilities and
Deferred Credits |
128,166 |
120,479 |
 |
| Total
Capitalization and Liabilities |
$315,193 |
$306,035 |
 |
Connecticut Water Service,
Inc. is the largest, domestic-based, investor-owned water
utility in New England. It provides water to over 83,000 customers
or 286,000 people in 41 towns in Connecticut, as well as providing
water-related services under contract to municipalities and
companies.
This news release may
contain certain forward-looking statements regarding the Company’s
results of operations and financial position. These forward-looking
statements are based on current information and expectations,
and are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause
the Company’s actual results to differ materially from
expected results.
The Connecticut
Water Company is subject to various federal and state regulatory
agencies concerning water quality and environmental standards.
Generally, the water industry is materially dependent on the
adequacy of approved rates to allow for a fair rate of return
on the investment in utility plant. The ability to maintain
our operating costs at the lowest possible level while providing
good quality water service is beneficial to customers and
stockholders. Profitability is also dependent on the timeliness
and amount of rate relief and numerous factors over which
we have little or no control, such as the quantity of rainfall
and temperature, industrial demand, financing costs, energy
rates, tax rates, and stock market trends which may affect
the return earned on pension assets, and compliance with environmental
and water quality regulations. The profitability of our other
revenue sources is subject to the amount of land we have available
for sale and/or donation, the demand for the land, the continuation
of the current state tax benefits relating to the donation
of land for open space purposes, regulatory approval of land
dispositions, the demand for telecommunications antenna site
leases and the successful extensions and expansion of our
service contracts. We undertake no obligation to update or
revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of
new information, future events,
or otherwise.
|