Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Consolidated earnings per share for Q1 2025 were $0.70, an increase from $0.62 in Q1 2024, attributed to favorable decisions from the CPUC regarding new water and electric rates [7][10] - Consolidated revenues for Q1 increased by $12.7 million compared to the same quarter last year [10] - Net cash provided by operating activities was $45.1 million for the quarter, slightly down from $45.8 million in the same quarter last year [14] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Golden State Water's earnings were $0.52 per share, up from $0.48 per share in the previous year, primarily due to new water rates [8] - The electric segment's earnings increased to $0.07 per share from $0.05 per share, driven by new electric rates [10] - ASUS earnings remained consistent at $0.13 per share compared to the same period in 2024, despite a decrease in construction activities due to unfavorable weather [24] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenues for the water segment increased by $11.7 million due to new 2025 water rates [11] - Electric segment revenues rose by $2.8 million, also due to new rates [11] - Revenues from ASUS decreased by $1.8 million, primarily due to lower construction activities impacted by weather conditions [12] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company plans to invest between $170 million to $210 million in infrastructure investments in 2025 [7] - Golden State Water is transitioning to a modified rate adjustment mechanism, which may introduce future revenue volatility due to changes in water consumption and supply source mix [19][20] - The company anticipates robust growth in its rate base, supported by recent regulatory decisions allowing significant capital investments [21] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the financial results and the impact of new regulatory decisions on future earnings [6][17] - The company is monitoring the potential for military base privatizations, with expectations of some activity in 2025, although uncertainty remains due to changes in administration [33][34] - Management highlighted the importance of maintaining strong credit ratings and liquidity to support ongoing investments [16] Other Important Information - The company raised $25.8 million through its at-the-market offering program in Q1 2025 [15] - The Board of Directors approved a second-quarter cash dividend, continuing a trend of increasing dividends at a CAGR of 8.8% over the last five years [26] Q&A Session Summary Question: Equity raised via ATM and full-year expectations - Management confirmed a target of raising approximately $60 million over the full year 2025, with reassessment based on credit facility capacity [28][29] Question: Update on military base privatization efforts - Management indicated no current privatizations are expected in 2025, but the Army may initiate one or two later in the year, with ongoing assessments of the situation [32][33] Question: Nature of nontraditional contracts - Management explained that nontraditional contracts, such as fifteen-year agreements, may be easier for bases to manage compared to fifty-year contracts, and they are pursuing such opportunities [41][42]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported adjusted earnings per share of $0.96 for Q1 2025, an increase from $0.89 in the prior year, reflecting a growth of approximately 7.9% [6][7] - Total comparable funeral revenue increased by over $23 million, or about 4%, compared to the prior year quarter [8] - Funeral gross profit increased by about $21 million, with the gross profit percentage rising by 240 basis points to over 24% [10] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Comparable core funeral revenue increased by $18 million, or about 4%, driven by a 2.5% growth in average revenue per service and a 1% increase in services performed [8] - Preneed funeral sales production decreased by $32 million, or about 10%, primarily due to the transition to a new insurance provider [11] - Comparable cemetery revenue decreased by $8 million, or about 2%, with a core revenue decline of $10 million attributed to lower recognized preneed property revenue [12][13] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company anticipates flat to slightly down funeral volume compared to 2024, with average revenue per case growing at inflationary rates [15] - Preneed cemetery sales production is expected to grow in the low single-digit percentage range, resulting in cemetery revenue growth of about 1% to 2% [16] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is transitioning from a trust to an insurance-funded preneed model, which is expected to stabilize and grow in the latter half of 2025 [12][16] - The company confirmed its normalized earnings per share guidance range of $3.7 to $4 for 2025, representing a midpoint of 9% year-over-year growth [15] - The focus remains on managing inflationary costs while maintaining gross margin percentages in the 32% to 33% range [17] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the sales pipeline, indicating a strong outlook for the remainder of the year despite external pressures [34][37] - The company is aware of macroeconomic pressures but believes that its products are viewed as essential, which may mitigate trade-down effects during economic downturns [90] - Management expects preneed funeral sales production to normalize later in 2025, with a projected $1.2 billion in production, which is 27% higher than 2019 levels [16] Other Important Information - The company generated adjusted operating cash flow of $316 million in the quarter, exceeding expectations and showing a substantial improvement over the prior year [22] - Capital investments totaled $95 million, with $67 million allocated to maintenance capital and $13 million to growth capital [23][24] - The company returned $176 million to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases, repurchasing approximately 1.7 million shares at an average price of $79 [24] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you discuss the cemetery preneed sales production being down? - Management noted that large sales were worse than core production, but they expect a strong pipeline moving forward, with April showing good sales [32][34] Question: How do you view the impact of tariffs on costs? - Management indicated that they have long-term contracts that protect against immediate impacts and do not expect material changes to guidance due to tariffs [40][44] Question: What drove the increase in funeral volume in Q1? - Management attributed the increase to slight market share growth and the effects of their pre-need program, despite quarterly volatility [48][50] Question: What is the outlook for preneed funeral volume transitioning to insurance? - Management expects the transition to insurance to yield higher premiums in the future, with a target of returning to growth rates of 3% to 5% by 2026 [62][65] Question: How does the company view the impact of M&A on earnings and volumes? - Management indicated that M&A could contribute 1% to 3% to growth, depending on the timing and nature of acquisitions [92]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Earnings per share for Q1 2025 were $1.05, an increase of nearly 11% compared to $0.95 in Q1 2024 [7] - Consolidated reported earnings were $1.5 per share, up $0.10 per share versus the same period in 2024 [13] - Revenues increased by $0.44 per share, primarily due to authorized rate increases and organic customer growth [13] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Operating costs increased by $0.15 per share, driven by employee-related costs and acquisitions [14] - Depreciation increased by $0.11 per share and financing costs increased by $0.10 per share, both as expected to support investment growth [14] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company achieved an annualized revenue increase of $63 million in Missouri, with new rates expected to take effect on May 31, 2025 [15] - In Virginia, an annualized increase of $15 million in water and wastewater revenues was approved [16] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company affirmed long-term targets for earnings and dividend growth at 7% to 9%, driven by 8% to 9% rate base growth [10] - The Board approved an increase in the quarterly cash dividend from $0.765 to $0.825, an 8.2% increase [11] - The company is focused on infrastructure investments and acquisitions to support growth, with a capital investment goal of approximately $3.3 billion in 2025 [23] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in achieving 2025 EPS guidance, representing 8% annual growth [20] - The company noted that recent tariff-related announcements are not expected to materially impact 2025 plans or financial results [21] - The management highlighted the need for significant investments in U.S. water infrastructure, estimating a total need of $625 billion over the next twenty years [30] Other Important Information - The company is well-positioned for growth through acquisitions, with about 37,000 customer connections under agreement [28] - The American Society of Civil Engineers rated the nation's drinking water systems a C- and wastewater systems a D+, indicating a dire need for infrastructure investment [30] Q&A Session Summary Question: Thoughts on pulling forward 2026 equity issuance - The company has no plans to pull forward equity issuance and will issue equity when needed [39] Question: Acquisition outlook under potential recession - The company expects a continuous flow of acquisition opportunities, potentially driven by recession or reduced federal funding [40] Question: Update on California desalination project - The company expects to break ground on the desalination project this year, which is separate from the rate case [52] Question: Legislative progress and opportunities - The company has not quantified the opportunities from legislative changes but noted they will help earned returns [61]