CWCO or GWRS: Which Is a Better Positioned Water Supply Stock?

Industry Overview - The Zacks Utility - Water Supply industry includes companies providing drinking water and wastewater services to various customers, including military bases [1] - Water utilities are essential for maintaining healthy living conditions by ensuring a constant supply of clean potable water and reliable sewer services [2] Investment Requirements - Water utility operators manage nearly 2.2 million miles of aging pipelines and require significant investments for maintenance and expansion, estimated at $1.25 trillion over the next 20 years [3] - The need for massive investments presents growth opportunities for operators in the water supply sector [3][4] Company Comparisons - Consolidated Water (CWCO) has a market capitalization of $534.5 million, while Global Water Resources (GWRS) has a market cap of $275.56 million [5] - CWCO's 2025 earnings estimate is $1.05 per share on revenues of $133.09 million, indicating a year-over-year decrease of 6.3% in earnings and 0.7% in revenues. GWRS's 2025 earnings estimate is 22 cents per share on revenues of $55.85 million, reflecting a 15.4% decline in earnings but a 6% growth in revenues [6] Financial Metrics - CWCO has a debt-to-capital ratio of 0.06%, significantly lower than GWRS's 61.14%, while the industry average is 50.04% [7] - The current ratio for CWCO is 5.24, indicating strong financial flexibility, compared to GWRS's 1.09 and the industry average of 0.9 [8] Dividend Yield - CWCO's dividend yield is 1.67%, while GWRS offers a higher yield of 3.03%, both exceeding the Zacks S&P 500 Composite average of 1.15% [11] Earnings Surprise History - CWCO has delivered an average earnings surprise of 40.1% over the last four quarters, whereas GWRS has experienced a negative earnings surprise of 6.1% [12] Stock Performance - In the past six months, CWCO shares have increased by 21.9%, while GWRS shares have decreased by 13%. The industry overall has risen by 11.5% during the same period [10][13] Conclusion - Both CWCO and GWRS are viable options for investment, focusing on water and wastewater services with potential for expansion. However, CWCO is favored due to its superior debt management, liquidity, and stock performance compared to GWRS [15]