American Water, the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the U.S., will help lead critical conversations at the American Water Works Association 2026 Annual Conference & Exposition, taking place June 21 through June 24 in Washington, D.C. President and CEO John Griffith said the company's leadership at ACE26 reflects its commitment to operational excellence and working with utility peers to address water challenges. Nearly 15 American Water experts will share insights on water quality, operational resilience, customer affordability, stakeholder engagement, and industry innovation.
American Water will lead discussions and share insights on water quality, operational resilience, and innovation at a major industry conference, highlighting its expertise and thought leadership.
Kentucky American Water Closes $1.4 Million Black Mountain Utility District Acquisition
Kentucky American Water has completed its acquisition of the Black Mountain Utility District water system and wastewater service in Harlan County, Kentucky, for $1.4 million. The newly acquired system serves over 4,300 water customer connections and six wastewater customer connections, and Kentucky American Water is welcoming 10 employees who previously provided water service to those customers. The water service acquisition was approved by the Kentucky Public Service Commission on July 10, 2026, and the wastewater service acquisition was approved on September 21, 2026. Kentucky American Water said it is committed to investing more than $20.9 million in improvements to the water system over the next five years, including replacing water meters within the first year, safety and security enhancements, and pump station improvements. The company recently worked with Black Mountain Utility District and local emergency management officials on response and recovery after devastating flooding in Harlan County, helping restore water service for approximately 200 homes.
Kentucky American Water Company · Capital · Positive Kentucky American Water completed the $1.4M Black Mountain Utility District acquisition and plans $20.9M in system improvements.
AWK · Capital · Positive American Water Works' subsidiary Kentucky American Water closed a $1.4M acquisition of Black Mountain Utility District, expanding its customer base.
Essential Utilities Upgraded to Zacks Rank #2 Buy on Rising Estimates
Essential Utilities has been upgraded to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), a rating driven by an upward trend in earnings estimates. The upgrade places the water utility in the top 20% of the more than 4,000 stocks covered by the Zacks Rank system in terms of estimate revisions. Essential Utilities is expected to earn $2.22 per share for the fiscal year ending December 2026, representing no year-over-year change, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company has risen 0.2% over the past three months. The Zacks Rank system classifies stocks from Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), with Zacks Rank #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The upgrade reflects an improving earnings outlook that could have a favorable impact on the stock price.
American Water Names Brad Nielsen Future President of Pennsylvania Unit
American Water announced that Brad Nielsen will become President of Pennsylvania American Water once its proposed merger with Essential Utilities closes. Nielsen, currently President of Iowa American Water since July 2024, will lead all operations in Pennsylvania and report to Justin Ladner, who will serve as Senior Vice President, State Operations, for Pennsylvania, Missouri and Illinois. Nielsen joined Iowa American Water in 2019 as Vice President of Operations, overseeing a team of 80 employees serving approximately 225,000 people, and brings more than 20 years of operations and leadership experience, including 17 years at Aramark Uniform Services. The all-stock merger, announced October 27, 2025, will create a combined company serving more than 4.7 million water and wastewater customer connections and more than 740,000 gas customer connections, operating under the American Water name and headquartered in Camden, New Jersey. The merger is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2027, subject to customary closing conditions including approval from the remaining applicable public utility commissions.
Climate Adaptation & Water › Regulated Water & Wastewater Utilities ▲Competition
Climate Adaptation & Water › Water Utilities & Infrastructure ▲Competition
AWK · Regulation · Neutral American Water names a future Pennsylvania unit president contingent on its merger with Essential Utilities closing, which still needs public utility commission approvals.
WTRG · Regulation · Neutral Essential Utilities' all-stock merger with American Water is progressing with leadership appointments, but remains subject to remaining public utility commission approvals.
Pennon Seeks £550m Cash Injection After South West Water Parasite Outbreak
Pennon Group is seeking £550m from shareholders as its chief executive tries to turn around South West Water following a parasite scandal. The owner of South West Water said it would cut its dividend and ask investors for more cash to fund a £3.6bn investment in its pipes and services, sending Pennon shares down nearly 19pc on Tuesday. The supplier was at the centre of a contaminated water outbreak in 2024 that forced it to warn 17,000 households in Devon about the presence of a parasite that can cause diarrhoea. Chief executive Keith Haslett said the £550m would come from selling new shares to existing investors so the company could put in more investment where its assets need it most, and Pennon said the plan was £1bn more than required under the terms of a 2024 review by regulator Ofwat. Pennon also said it would reduce dividend payments from £138m in its 2026 financial year to around £125m in 2027, continue using debt funding and proposed the sale of its renewable energy investment vehicle Pennon Power to cut debt.
South West Water · Capital · Negative South West Water's parent Pennon seeks a £550m emergency equity raise, cuts its dividend, and plans asset sales after the 2024 parasite contamination scandal.
Pennon to raise £550 million in rights issue, rebase dividend for water upgrade
Pennon Group said on Wednesday it would raise about £550 million through a fully underwritten rights issue and cut its dividend as its new CEO launched an overhaul of the water utility's operations and stepped up investment. The total dividend for the 2026/2027 financial year will be cut to approximately £125 million from £138 million for 2025/2026, with the lower payout applying to both the interim and final dividends, and after accounting for the cut, the rights issue and a bonus factor, Pennon put the implied underlying reduction in dividend per share at approximately 30%, leaving an expected dividend of around 18 pence per share. The rights issue, launched on Wednesday, will fund more investment in the regulated water businesses and supports about £1 billion of additional investment, with full terms in a separate announcement and an international offering circular published the same day. Capital investment in the regulated water businesses over AMP8 is now expected to be approximately £3.6 billion, around £1 billion more than Pennon's original plan based on the AMP8 Final Determination, and the total investment programme is expected to deliver RCV growth of over 40% across AMP8, up from the 34% set at the start of the period. In a draft decision on Ofwat's 2026 cost change process, the regulator provisionally allowed £230 million, or £190 million in 2022/23 prices, which is 76% of the amount Pennon requested, and Pennon estimates it will make around £170 million of further investment through the 2027 and 2028 cost change processes, subject to Ofwat approval, targeting total additional RCV from cost change of £400 million.
Climate Adaptation & Water › Water Utilities & Infrastructure ▲Capital
Climate Adaptation & Water › Regulated Water & Wastewater Utilities Capital
PNN.LSE · Capital · Negative Pennon launches a £550m rights issue and rebases its dividend ~30% lower to fund higher AMP8 investment.
PNN.LSE · Regulation · Neutral Ofwat's draft cost change decision provisionally allows only 76% of Pennon's requested £230m, with further investment subject to approval.
Krungsri keeps Hold on TTW with 10 baht target, highlights 6% annual yield
Krungsri Securities said in an analysis that TTW Public Company Limited, or TTW, is expected to post net profit of 863 million baht in the third quarter of 2026, down 12% year on year but up 31% quarter on quarter. The water supply business is still growing slightly on higher water sales volumes from TTW and BIE, driven by industrial customers' water demand, but it is being pressured by the profit contribution from CKP, which is expected to be weak year on year because electricity output from the NN2 dam fell about 50% year on year, in line with the dam's inflow, while the gross margin of the SPP power plant declined on higher gas costs. If profit meets expectations, net profit for the first nine months of 2026 would represent 72% of the full-year 2026 figure, slightly below the 75% seen in the first nine months of 2025. For the fourth quarter of 2026, net profit is expected to fall both year on year and quarter on quarter due to a lower gross margin from higher depreciation costs and lower water selling prices, as well as the prospect of a weaker profit contribution from CKP amid El Niño conditions in the second half of 2026. The research team maintains a Neutral recommendation on its unchanged 2027 target price of 10.0 baht, based on the SOTP method. Because TTW's profit trend over 2026 to 2028 is expected to stay roughly flat and unremarkable, the team keeps its Hold recommendation to collect dividends on stable DPS from the water supply business, representing a dividend yield of about 6% per year over 2026 to 2028.
Climate Adaptation & Water › Regulated Water & Wastewater Utilities Pricing
TTW.BK · Capital · Neutral Krungsri keeps Hold with a 10 baht target, expecting Q3 2026 net profit down 12% y/y but up 31% q/q, with flat 2026-2028 profit trend and ~6% dividend yield.
CKP.BK · Capital · Negative CKP's profit contribution is expected to be weak year on year as NN2 dam electricity output fell ~50% and SPP gross margin declined on higher gas costs.
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