ARTESIAN RESOURCES CORP - Quarter Report: 2007 September (Form 10-Q)
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-Q
(Mark
One)
x
|
QUARTERLY
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE
ACT OF
1934
|
For
the
quarterly period ended September 30, 2007
Or
o
|
TRANSITION
REPORT PURSUANT TO
SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF
1934
|
For
the
transition period from _____ to _____
Commission
file number 000-18516
ARTESIAN
RESOURCES CORPORATION
|
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its
charter)
|
Delaware
|
51-0002090
|
|
(State
or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
|
(I.R.S.
Employer Identification No.)
|
664
Churchmans Road, Newark, Delaware
|
19702
|
(Address
of principal executive offices)
|
(Zip
Code)
|
(302)
453 – 6900
|
(Registrant's
telephone number, including area
code)
|
Not
Applicable
|
(Former
name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last
report.)
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to
be
filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during
the
preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required
to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements
for
the past 90 days.
x Yes o No
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated
filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
(Check one):
Large
accelerated filer o
|
Accelerated
filer x
|
Non-accelerated
filer o
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in
Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act):
o Yes x No
As
of
October 31, 2007, 6,399,536 shares of Class A Non-Voting Common Stock and
881,452 shares of Class B Common Stock were outstanding.
ARTESIAN
RESOURCES CORPORATION
INDEX
TO
FORM 10-Q
Part
I
|
-
|
Financial
Information:
|
|
Item
1
|
-
|
Page(s)
|
|
|
|||
3
|
|||
|
|||
4
|
|||
|
|||
5
|
|||
|
|||
6
|
|||
6
-
7
|
|||
|
|||
8
–
12
|
|||
|
|||
Item
2
|
-
|
13
– 20
|
|
|
|||
Item
3
|
-
|
20
|
|
|
|||
Item
4
|
-
|
21
|
|
Part
II
|
-
|
Other
Information:
|
|
Item
1
|
-
|
21
|
|
|
|||
Item
1A
|
-
|
21
|
|
|
|||
Item
6
|
-
|
21
|
|
|
|||
22
|
PART
I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION
ITEM
1 – FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
ARTESIAN
RESOURCES CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED
BALANCE SHEETS
Unaudited
(In
thousands)
September 30,
2007
|
December 31,
2006
|
|||||||
ASSETS
|
||||||||
Utility
plant, at original cost less accumulated depreciation
|
$ |
267,462
|
$ |
253,182
|
||||
Current
assets
|
||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
8,867
|
1,414
|
||||||
Accounts
receivable, net
|
5,269
|
3,416
|
||||||
Unbilled
operating revenues
|
3,716
|
2,655
|
||||||
Materials
and supplies-at cost on FIFO basis
|
1,137
|
1,054
|
||||||
Prepaid
property taxes
|
1,589
|
924
|
||||||
Prepaid
expenses and other
|
1,270
|
782
|
||||||
Total
current assets
|
21,848
|
10,245
|
||||||
Other
assets
|
||||||||
Non-utility
property (less accumulated depreciation 2007-$171;
2006-$146)
|
294
|
307
|
||||||
Other
deferred assets
|
4,001
|
3,745
|
||||||
Total
other assets
|
4,295
|
4,052
|
||||||
Regulatory
assets, net
|
1,750
|
1,881
|
||||||
$ |
295,355
|
$ |
269,360
|
|||||
LIABILITIES
AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
|
||||||||
Stockholders'
equity
|
||||||||
Common
stock
|
$ |
7,279
|
$ |
6,086
|
||||
Additional
paid-in capital
|
65,086
|
45,052
|
||||||
Retained
earnings
|
12,648
|
10,662
|
||||||
Total
stockholders' equity
|
85,013
|
61,800
|
||||||
Long-term
debt, net of current portion
|
91,799
|
92,073
|
||||||
176,812
|
153,873
|
|||||||
Current
liabilities
|
||||||||
Lines
of Credit
|
---
|
7,906
|
||||||
Current
portion of long-term debt
|
315
|
310
|
||||||
Accounts
payable
|
2,515
|
2,790
|
||||||
Accrued
expenses
|
2,889
|
3,287
|
||||||
Overdraft
payable
|
3,886
|
1,990
|
||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
535
|
284
|
||||||
Interest
accrued
|
483
|
360
|
||||||
Customer
deposits
|
653
|
472
|
||||||
Other
|
2,224
|
1,723
|
||||||
Total
current liabilities
|
13,500
|
19,122
|
||||||
Deferred
credits and other liabilities
|
||||||||
Net
advances for construction
|
24,195
|
24,991
|
||||||
Postretirement
benefit obligation
|
927
|
927
|
||||||
Deferred
investment tax credits
|
744
|
765
|
||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
24,829
|
21,505
|
||||||
Total
deferred credits and other liabilities
|
50,695
|
48,188
|
||||||
Commitments
and contingencies
|
||||||||
Net
contributions in aid of construction
|
54,348
|
48,177
|
||||||
$ |
295,355
|
$ |
269,360
|
See
notes to the consolidated financial statements.
ARTESIAN
RESOURCES CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF INCOME
Unaudited
(In
thousands, except per share amounts)
For the Quarter
|
||||||||
Ended September 30,
|
||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
OPERATING
REVENUES
|
||||||||
Water
sales
|
$ |
13,853
|
$ |
12,231
|
||||
Other
utility operating revenue
|
357
|
267
|
||||||
Non-utility
revenue
|
836
|
374
|
||||||
Gain
on sale of land
|
---
|
1,322
|
||||||
15,046
|
14,194
|
|||||||
OPERATING
EXPENSES
|
||||||||
Utility
operating expenses
|
6,389
|
6,240
|
||||||
Non-utility
operating expenses
|
619
|
289
|
||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
1,339
|
1,237
|
||||||
State
and federal income taxes
|
1,814
|
1,599
|
||||||
Property
and other taxes
|
750
|
648
|
||||||
10,911
|
10,013
|
|||||||
OPERATING
INCOME
|
4,135
|
4,181
|
||||||
OTHER
INCOME, NET
|
||||||||
Allowance
for funds used during construction
|
78
|
100
|
||||||
Miscellaneous
|
42
|
(31 | ) | |||||
INCOME
BEFORE INTEREST CHARGES
|
4,255
|
4,250
|
||||||
|
||||||||
INTEREST
CHARGES
|
1,492
|
1,643
|
||||||
|
||||||||
NET
INCOME
|
$ |
2,763
|
$ |
2,607
|
||||
INCOME
PER COMMON SHARE:
|
||||||||
Basic
|
$ |
0.38
|
$ |
0.43
|
||||
Diluted
|
$ |
0.37
|
$ |
0.42
|
||||
CASH
DIVIDEND PER COMMON SHARE
|
$ |
0.1660
|
$ |
0.15
|
||||
AVERAGE
COMMON SHARES OUTSTANDING
|
||||||||
Basic
|
7,277
|
6,065
|
||||||
Diluted
|
7,425
|
6,247
|
See
notes to the consolidated financial statements.
ARTESIAN
RESOURCES CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(Unaudited)
(In
thousands, except per share amounts)
For the Nine Months
Ended September 30,
|
||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
OPERATING
REVENUES
|
||||||||
Water
sales
|
$ |
36,505
|
$ |
33,253
|
||||
Other
utility operating revenue
|
1,259
|
779
|
||||||
Non-utility
revenue
|
1,799
|
1,342
|
||||||
Gain
on sale of land
|
---
|
1,322
|
||||||
39,563
|
36,696
|
|||||||
OPERATING
EXPENSES
|
||||||||
Utility
operating expenses
|
19,632
|
18,210
|
||||||
Non-utility
operating expenses
|
1,217
|
892
|
||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
3,842
|
3,422
|
||||||
State
and federal income taxes
|
3,420
|
3,127
|
||||||
Property
and other taxes
|
2,131
|
1,922
|
||||||
30,242
|
27,573
|
|||||||
OPERATING
INCOME
|
9,321
|
9,123
|
||||||
OTHER
INCOME, NET
|
||||||||
Allowance
for funds used during construction
|
213
|
219
|
||||||
Miscellaneous
|
464
|
349
|
||||||
INCOME
BEFORE INTEREST CHARGES
|
9,998
|
9,691
|
||||||
INTEREST
CHARGES
|
4,808
|
4,729
|
||||||
NET
INCOME
|
$ |
5,190
|
$ |
4,962
|
||||
INCOME
PER COMMON SHARE:
|
||||||||
Basic
|
$ |
0.78
|
$ |
0.82
|
||||
Diluted
|
$ |
0.77
|
$ |
0.80
|
||||
CASH
DIVIDEND PER COMMON SHARE
|
$ |
0.492
|
$ |
0.45
|
||||
AVERAGE
COMMON SHARES OUTSTANDING:
|
||||||||
Basic
|
6,619
|
6,047
|
||||||
Diluted
|
6,771
|
6,232
|
See
notes to the consolidated financial statements.
ARTESIAN
RESOURCES CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF RETAINED EARNINGS
Unaudited
(In
thousands)
For the Nine Months
|
||||||||
Ended September 30,
|
||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
Balance,
beginning of period
|
$ |
10,662
|
$ |
10,330
|
||||
Net
income
|
5,190
|
4,962
|
||||||
15,852
|
15,292
|
|||||||
Less:
Dividends
|
3,204
|
2,742
|
||||||
Stock
Split
|
---
|
2,024
|
||||||
Balance,
end of period
|
$ |
12,648
|
$ |
10,526
|
See
notes to the consolidated financial statements.
ARTESIAN
RESOURCES CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
Unaudited
(In
thousands)
For the Nine Months
|
||||||||
Ended September 30,
|
||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
CASH
FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
|
||||||||
NET
INCOME
|
$ |
5,190
|
$ |
4,962
|
||||
Adjustments
to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating
activities:
|
||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
3,842
|
3,422
|
||||||
Deferred
income taxes, net
|
3,554
|
3,116
|
||||||
Stock
Compensation
|
108
|
252
|
||||||
Allowance
for funds used during construction
|
(213 | ) | (219 | ) | ||||
Gain
on sale of land
|
---
|
(1,322 | ) | |||||
Changes
in assets and liabilities:
|
||||||||
Accounts
receivable, net
|
(1,853 | ) | (334 | ) | ||||
Income
tax payable
|
---
|
(260 | ) | |||||
Unbilled
operating revenues
|
(1,061 | ) | (788 | ) | ||||
Materials
and supplies
|
(83 | ) | (38 | ) | ||||
Prepaid
property taxes
|
(665 | ) | (536 | ) | ||||
Prepaid
expenses and other
|
(488 | ) | (330 | ) | ||||
Other
deferred assets
|
(338 | ) | (169 | ) | ||||
Regulatory
assets
|
131
|
86
|
||||||
Postretirement
benefit obligation
|
---
|
(54 | ) | |||||
Accounts
payable
|
(275 | ) |
393
|
|||||
Accrued
expenses
|
(398 | ) |
1,650
|
|||||
Interest
accrued
|
123
|
232
|
||||||
Customer
deposits and other, net
|
682
|
(166 | ) | |||||
NET
CASH PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES
|
8,256
|
9,897
|
||||||
|
||||||||
CASH
FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
|
||||||||
Capital
expenditures, net of AFUDC
|
(18,588 | ) | (25,054 | ) | ||||
Investment
in Aquastructure
|
---
|
37
|
||||||
Proceeds
from sale of land
|
---
|
1,330
|
||||||
Proceeds
from sale of assets
|
24
|
10
|
||||||
NET
CASH USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES
|
(18,564 | ) | (23,677 | ) |
ARTESIAN
RESOURCES CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (continued)
Unaudited
(In
thousands)
For
the Nine Months
|
||||||||
Ended
September 30,
|
||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
CASH
FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
|
||||||||
Net
borrowings (repayment) under line of credit agreements
|
(7,906 | ) |
5,855
|
|||||
Overdraft
payable
|
1,896
|
238
|
||||||
Net
advances and contributions in aid of construction
|
6,042
|
10,472
|
||||||
Principal
repayments of long-term debt
|
(269 | ) | (258 | ) | ||||
Net
proceeds from issuance of common stock
|
21,119
|
1,059
|
||||||
Dividends
|
(3,204 | ) | (2,742 | ) | ||||
Deferred
debt issuance costs
|
83
|
30
|
||||||
NET
CASH PROVIDED BY FINANCING ACTIVITIES
|
17,761
|
14,654
|
||||||
NET
INCREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
|
7,453
|
874
|
||||||
CASH
AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT BEGINNING OF PERIOD
|
1,414
|
1,359
|
||||||
CASH
AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT END OF PERIOD
|
$ |
8,867
|
$ |
2,233
|
||||
Supplemental
Disclosures of Cash Flow Information:
|
||||||||
Interest
paid
|
$ |
4,554
|
$ |
4,316
|
||||
Income
taxes paid
|
$ |
610
|
$ |
261
|
See
notes to the consolidated financial statements.
NOTES
TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
NOTE
1 – GENERAL
Artesian
Resources Corporation, or Artesian Resources, operates as a holding company,
whose income is derived from the earnings of our six wholly owned subsidiaries
and our one-third interest in AquaStructure Delaware, L.L.C., a limited
liability corporation that is inactive. The terms “we”, “our”,
“Artesian” and the “Company” as used herein refer to Artesian Resources and its
subsidiaries.
On
July
20, 2007, the Maryland Public Service Commission approved Artesian Resources’
acquisition of the Carpenters Point Water Company. The acquisition
was completed on August 7, 2007 in a transaction accounted for under Statement
of Financial Accounting Standards No. 141 “Business Combinations” (SFAS 141) and
the results of operations are included in the Consolidated Statement of Income
as of the August 7, 2007 date of acquisition. Carpenters Point Water
Company serves a 130 home community in Cecil County, Maryland near the
Interstate 95 growth corridor between Philadelphia and Baltimore and has
sufficient groundwater supply and elevated water storage to serve additional
customers in the undeveloped portions of its franchise and surrounding
area. Carpenters Point Water Company has been renamed Artesian Water
Maryland, Inc., or Artesian Maryland.
Artesian
Water Company, Inc., or Artesian Water, our principal subsidiary, is the oldest
and largest public water utility on the Delmarva Peninsula, and has been
providing water service since 1905. Artesian Water distributes and
sells water to residential, commercial, industrial, governmental, municipal
and
utility customers throughout Delaware. In addition, Artesian Water
provides services to other water utilities, including operations and billing
functions, and has contract operation agreements with 20 private and municipal
water providers.
Artesian
Water Pennsylvania, Inc., or Artesian Water Pennsylvania, began operations
in
2002, and is providing water service to a residential community, consisting
of
39 customers, in Chester County, Pennsylvania. In 2005, the
Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission approved our application to increase
our service area to encompass four specific planned developments.
Another
subsidiary of ours, Artesian Wastewater Management, Inc., or Artesian
Wastewater, is a regulated entity that owns wastewater infrastructure and
provides wastewater services in Delaware. Artesian Wastewater
currently owns and operates five wastewater treatment facilities, which are
capable of treating approximately 750,000 gallons per day and can be expanded
to
treat approximately 1.6 million gallons per day.
Our
two
other subsidiaries, neither of which is regulated, are Artesian Utility
Development, Inc., or Artesian Utility, which designs and builds water and
wastewater infrastructure and provides contract water and wastewater services
on
the Delmarva Peninsula, and Artesian Development Corporation, or Artesian
Development, the sole activity of which is the ownership of a six-acre parcel
of
land zoned for office buildings located immediately adjacent to our corporate
headquarters.
On
May 1,
2007, Artesian Utility acquired all rights, titles and interest in operations
contracts of TMH Environmental Services, Inc. (“TMH”). TMH,
incorporated in Pennsylvania, provided contract water and wastewater operation
services to 23 private, municipal and governmental institutions in the
southeastern part of Pennsylvania (the “Contract
Parties”).
Stock
Compensation Plans
We
maintain an equity compensation plan that provides for grants of stock options
and restricted stock awards and other forms of stock compensation to our
directors, officers and key employees. Prior to May 25, 2005, we
maintained three stock compensation plans. No further equity
compensation can be issued under those plans. On May 25, 2005, the
Company’s stockholders approved a new Equity Compensation Plan, or the Plan,
which authorized up to 750,000 shares of Class A Non-Voting Common Stock for
issuance. The terms and vesting schedules for options granted under
the Plan may vary and are set at the time of grant by the Compensation Committee
of the Board of Directors. Approximately $108,000 in compensation
expense was recorded during the nine months ended September 30, 2007 for stock
options issued under the Plan. For the nine months ended September
30, 2006 an expense of approximately $252,000 was recorded for stock options,
stock bonus grants and related tax.
Effective
January 1, 2006, we adopted the fair value recognition provisions of Financial
Accounting Standards No. 123(R), "Share-Based Payment", and related
interpretations ("SFAS No. 123R") using the modified-prospective transition
method. Under this method, compensation cost recognized included (a)
compensation cost for all share-based payments granted prior to, but not yet
vested, as of January 1, 2006 based on the grant date fair value estimated
in
accordance with the original provisions of SFAS No. 123R and (b) compensation
cost for all share-based payments granted on or subsequent to January 1, 2006,
based on the grant-date fair value estimated in accordance with the provisions
of SFAS No. 123R. We use the modified prospective method and estimate
the fair value of each option grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing
model. For the nine month period ending September 30, 2007 an expense
of $108,000 has been realized for options granted in May 2007 and May 2006,
as
amortized over the 12-month vesting period. In comparison, for the
same period last year, $252,000 in expense was recorded for stock awards and
related tax granted in March and April 2006, and $50,000 recorded for stock
options granted in May 2006. The stock awards were fully vested on
the date of grant and were valued at the fair value on the date of the
grant. All options were granted at market value with a 10 year option
term with a vesting period of one year from the dates of grant, May 16, 2007
and
May 12, 2006. The fair value of the options that were granted in 2007
and 2006 were estimated using a Black-Scholes-Merton option-pricing formula,
applying the following assumptions:
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
Expected
Dividend Yield
|
3.250 | % | 2.930 | % | ||||
Expected
Stock Price Volatility
|
0.272
|
0.238
|
||||||
Weighted
Average Risk-Free Interest Rate
|
4.690 | % | 5.030 | % | ||||
Weighted
Average Expected Life of Options (in years) years)
|
6.650
|
3.260
|
For
2007
and 2006, the expected dividend yield is based on a 12 month rolling average
of
the current dividend yield. The expected volatility is the standard
deviation of the change in the natural logarithm of the stock price (expressed
as an annual rate) for the seven year period ended May 31, 2007, and the three
year period ended June 30, 2006, for 2007 and 2006, respectively. The
expected life is based on historic exercise patterns for similar
grants. The risk free interest rate is the 7-year Treasury Constant
Maturity rate as of the date of the grant for 2007 and the 3-year Treasury
Constant Maturity rate as of the date of the grant for 2006.
The
following summary reflects changes in the shares of Class A Non-Voting Common
Stock under option:
Option
Shares
|
Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price
|
Weighted
Average
Remaining
Life (Yrs.)
|
Aggregate
Intrinsic Value
(in thousands)
|
|||||||||||||
Plan
options
|
||||||||||||||||
Outstanding
at January 1, 2007
|
595,699
|
$ |
13.832
|
|||||||||||||
Granted
|
33,750
|
$ |
19.558
|
|||||||||||||
Exercised
|
(37,512 | ) | $ |
7.613
|
||||||||||||
Canceled
|
---
|
N/A
|
||||||||||||||
Outstanding
at September 30, 2007
|
591,937
|
$ |
14.553
|
5.58
|
$ |
2,809
|
||||||||||
Options
exercisable at September 30, 2007
|
558,187
|
$ |
14.250
|
5.34
|
$ |
2,809
|
The
total
intrinsic value of options exercised for the nine months ended September 30,
2007 was approximately $444,000.
The
following summary reflects changes in the non-vested shares of Class A Stock
under option:
Non-vested
Shares
|
Option
Shares
|
Weighted Average
Grant -Date
Fair Value
Per Option
|
||||||
Non-vested
at January 1, 2007
|
33,750
|
$ |
3.809
|
|||||
Granted
|
33,750
|
$ |
4.847
|
|||||
Vested
|
33,750
|
$ |
3.809
|
|||||
Canceled
|
---
|
N/A
|
||||||
Non-vested
at September 30, 2007
|
33,750
|
$ |
4.847
|
As
of
September 30, 2007, there was $102,000 of total unrecognized expense related
to
non-vested option shares granted under the Plan. That cost will be
recognized over the remaining vesting period of the unvested
options.
NOTE
2 – BASIS OF PRESENTATION
The
unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements are presented in accordance with
the
requirements of Form 10-Q and consequently do not include all the disclosures
required in the financial statements included in the Company's annual report
on
Form 10-K. Accordingly, these financial statements and related notes
should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and related notes
in
the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for fiscal year 2006 and the Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31 and June 30,
2007.
In
the
opinion of the Company, the accompanying unaudited Consolidated Financial
Statements reflect all normal recurring adjustments necessary to present fairly
the Company's balance sheet position as of September 30, 2007 and the
results of operations for the nine month and quarterly periods ended September
30, 2007 and 2006 and cash flows for the nine month periods ended September
30,
2007 and 2006.
The
results of operations for the interim period presented are not necessarily
indicative of the results for the full year or for future periods.
NOTE
3 - REGULATORY ASSETS
Certain
expenses are recoverable through rates charged to our customers, without a
return on investment, and are deferred and amortized during future periods
using
various methods as permitted by the Delaware Public Service Commission, or
PSC. Expenses related to applications to increase rates are amortized
on a straight-line basis over a period of two years. The
postretirement benefit obligation, which is being amortized over 20 years,
is
adjusted for the difference between the net periodic postretirement benefit
costs and the cash payments. The deferred income taxes will be
amortized over future years as the tax effects of temporary differences
previously flowed through to the customers reverse. Regulatory assets
net of amortization, are comprised of the following:
Unaudited
|
||||||||
September 30,
2007
|
December 31,
2006
|
|||||||
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||
Postretirement
benefit obligation
|
$ |
983
|
$ |
1,027
|
||||
Deferred
income taxes recoverable in future rates
|
570
|
582
|
||||||
Expense
of rate proceedings
|
190
|
257
|
||||||
Other
|
7
|
15
|
||||||
$ |
1,750
|
$ |
1,881
|
Expenses
related to the Net Periodic Pension Cost for the postretirement benefit
obligation are as follows:
Unaudited
|
||||||||
For
the Nine Months Ended September 30,
|
2007
|
2006
|
||||||
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||
Net
Periodic Pension Cost
|
||||||||
Interest
Cost
|
$ |
37
|
$ |
39
|
||||
Amortization
of Net Gain
|
(17 | ) | (21 | ) | ||||
Amortization
of Transition Obligation
|
6
|
6
|
||||||
Total
Net Periodic Benefit Cost
|
$ |
26
|
$ |
24
|
Contributions
Artesian
Water contributed $70,000 to its postretirement benefit plan in the first nine
months of 2007 and expects to contribute another $23,000 for the remainder
of
the year. These contributions consist of insurance premium payments
for medical, dental and life insurance benefits made on behalf of the Company’s
eligible retired employees.
NOTE
4 - NET INCOME PER COMMON SHARE AND EQUITY PER COMMON
SHARE
Basic
net
income per share is based on the weighted average number of common shares
outstanding. Diluted net income per share is based on the weighted
average number of common shares outstanding and the potentially dilutive effect
of employee stock options. The following table summarizes the shares
used in computing basic and diluted net income per share:
For the Quarter
|
For the Nine Months
|
|||||||||||||||
Ended September 30,
|
Ended September 30,
|
|||||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
(in
thousands)
|
|||||||||||||||
Average
common shares outstanding during the period for Basic
computation
|
7,277
|
6,065
|
6,619
|
6,047
|
||||||||||||
Dilutive
effect of employee stock options
|
148
|
182
|
152
|
185
|
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
Average
common shares outstanding during the period for Diluted
computation
|
7,425
|
6,247
|
6,771
|
6,232
|
Equity
per common share was $11.68 and $10.11 at September 30, 2007 and 2006,
respectively. These amounts were computed by dividing common
stockholders' equity by the number of shares of common stock outstanding on
September 30, 2007 and 2006, respectively.
NOTE
5 - IMPACT OF RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
In
February 2007, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, FASB, issued Statement
No. 159, “The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities –
Including an amendment of FASB No.115.” This statement permits
entities to choose to measure many financial instruments and certain other
items
at fair value. The objective is to improve financial reporting by
providing entities with the opportunity to mitigate volatility in reported
earnings caused by measuring related assets and liabilities differently without
having to apply complex hedge accounting provisions. This Statement
is effective as of the beginning of an entity’s first fiscal year that begins
after November 15, 2007. The Company expects to adopt this
statement effective January 1, 2008 and does not expect it to have a material
effect on the financial statements.
NOTE
6 - RATE PROCEEDINGS
In
May
2006, Artesian Water filed a petition with the PSC to implement new rates to
meet a requested increase in revenue of 23%, or approximately $9.9 million,
on
an annualized basis. This request was primarily due to the Company’s
significant investment in infrastructure, as well as an approximately 92%
increase in purchased power expense due to the expiration of price caps imposed
in 1999 when deregulation of the electric industry in Delaware was
adopted. As permitted by law, in July 2006 we placed into effect
temporary rates designed to generate an increase in annual operating revenue
of
approximately 5.9%, or $2.5 million on an annual basis, until new rates were
approved by the PSC.
On
December 19, 2006 the PSC approved a Settlement Agreement in this
case. The increase in annual revenue requirement under the Settlement
Agreement of $6 million will be recovered in two steps. The first
step was placed in effect January 1, 2007 to recover approximately $4.8 million
in annual revenue. The second step was placed in effect July 24,
2007. The second step rates were designed to recover approximately
$1.2 million of annual revenue which reflected the issuance of additional equity
of approximately $20 million.
Delaware
statute permits water utilities to put into effect, on a semi-annual basis,
increases related to specific types of distribution system improvements through
a Distribution System Improvement Charge, or DSIC. This charge is
available to water utilities to be implemented between general rate increase
applications that normally recognize changes in a water utility’s overall
financial position. The DSIC approval process is less costly when
compared to the approval process for general rate increase
requests. The DSIC rate applied between base rate filings is capped
at 7.5% of the amount billed to customers under otherwise applicable rates
and
charges, and the DSIC rate increase applied can not exceed 5% within any
12-month period. During the first nine months of 2006 we earned
approximately $225,000 in revenue. We did not have DSIC in effect
during 2007.
NOTE
7 – INCOME TAXES
In
June 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued interpretation
No. 48, “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes, an Interpretation of
FASB Statement No. 109” (FIN 48), which became effective for the Company as
of January 1, 2007. FIN 48 addresses the determination of how
tax benefits claimed or expected to be claimed on a tax return should be
recorded in the financial statements. Under FIN 48, we must recognize
the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than
not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing
authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax
benefits recognized in the financial statements from such a position are
measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood
of
being realized upon ultimate resolution. The Company adopted this
statement effective January 1, 2007 and after analyzing Artesian’s various tax
positions determined that no further entry, recognition or derecognition were
required. The Company would recognize, if applicable, interest
accrued and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in interest expense
and in accordance with the regulations of the jurisdictions
involved. There were no such charges for the period ended September
30, 2007. Additionally, there were no accruals relating to interest
or penalties as of September 30, 2007. The Company remains subject to
examination by federal authorities for the 2004, 2005 and 2006 tax years and
by
state authorities for the tax years 2004 through 2006.
NOTE
8 – STOCK OFFERING
On
June
19, 2007, the Company completed the sale of 1,000,000 shares of its Class A
Non-Voting Common Stock. The net proceeds of approximately $18.2
million were used to reduce borrowing on Artesian Water’s lines of credit, with
the balance currently placed in temporary cash investments available and
intended to be used to fund future capital expenditures anticipated to be
incurred by Artesian Water and Artesian Wastewater.
On
July
10, 2007, the Company completed the sale of an additional 129,000 shares of
its
Class A Non-Voting Common Stock, in accordance with the option granted to the
underwriters to cover over-allotments associated with our June 2007 stock
offering. The net proceeds of approximately $2.3 million were placed
in temporary cash investments available and intended to be used to fund future
capital expenditures anticipated to be incurred by Artesian Water and Artesian
Wastewater.
ITEM
2
MANAGEMENT'S
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF
OPERATIONS
RESULTS
OF OPERATIONS FOR THE PERIOD ENDED September 30, 2007
Overview
STRATEGIC
DIRECTION
Our
profitability is primarily attributable to the sale of water by Artesian Water,
the amount of which is dependent on seasonal fluctuations in weather,
particularly during the summer months when water demand may vary with rainfall
and temperature. In the event that temperatures during the typically
warmer months are cooler than expected, or rainfall is greater than expected,
the demand for water may decrease and our revenues may be adversely
affected. We believe the effects of weather are short term and do not
materially affect the execution of our strategic initiatives.
Our
initiatives south of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, or the “C&D
Canal,” that began in 1992 are now providing the greatest portion of our
customer growth. This shift in growth is primarily the result of the
build out of our service area in northern New Castle County,
Delaware.
While
customer growth in our utility subsidiaries continued to be a major focus in
the
first nine months of 2007, we aggressively seek opportunities that produce
revenue streams that are not as directly affected by weather. These
opportunities include the efforts of Artesian Utility, which is actively
pursuing opportunities to design, build and operate water and wastewater
facilities throughout Delaware and surrounding areas on the Delmarva Peninsula,
and Artesian Wastewater, which began providing wastewater services to customers
in Delaware as a regulated public wastewater service company in July
2005. The opportunities generated through our wastewater service
companies may provide additional service territory for the regulated water
subsidiary or may provide contract operations services for municipalities or
other regulated entities. We will continue to focus attention on
expanding our contract operations opportunities with municipalities and private
water providers on the Delmarva Peninsula.
Our
strategy is to focus on total resource management covering a wide spectrum
of
activities, which include identifying new and dependable sources of supply;
developing the wells, treatment plants and delivery systems to get water to
customers; educating customers on the wise use of water; and providing
responsible wastewater management to assist with recharge of the
aquifers. Our strategy includes focusing our efforts to expand in new
regions added to our service territory over the last 10 years, where growth
is
strong and demand is increasing. We also foresee significant growth
opportunities in our wastewater subsidiaries and will continue to seek strategic
partnerships and relationships with developers and municipalities to complement
existing agreements for the provision of wastewater service on the Delmarva
Peninsula.
We
believe additional growth for Artesian will be developed in the Maryland
counties on the Delmarva Peninsula. In furtherance of our strategic
initiative, on August 7, 2007, the Company completed the acquisition of the
Carpenters Point Water Company in a transaction accounted for under SFAS
141. Carpenters Point serves a 130 home community in Cecil County,
Maryland located near the Interstate 95 growth corridor, between Philadelphia
and Baltimore. This acquisition is expected to provide sufficient
groundwater supply and elevated water storage to serve additional customers
in
the undeveloped portions of the Carpenters Point franchise and surrounding
area. The Maryland Public Service Commission approved the acquisition
on July 20, 2007.
In
May
2007, we completed the purchase of all the wastewater and water operations
agreements of TMH Environmental Services, Inc. In connection with
this acquisition, we expanded our water and wastewater contract activity in
the
region and added experienced, qualified and licensed water and wastewater
operators to our staff. We believe this strategic expansion will
provide Artesian with additional potential for continued growth.
REGULATORY
MATTERS AND INFLATION
As
of
September 30, 2007, we had approximately 74,800 metered water customers,
approximately 360 wastewater customers, and served a population of approximately
250,000 (including contract services), representing approximately 29% of
Delaware's total population. Increases in the number of customers
served by Artesian Water and Artesian Wastewater contributed to increases in
our
operating revenues. The Delaware Public Service Commission PSC
regulates both Artesian Water's and Artesian Wastewater’s rates charged for
service, the sale and issuance of securities and other
matters. Artesian Maryland is subject to the regulatory jurisdiction
of the Maryland Public Service Commission.
Our
regulated utilities periodically seek rate increases to cover the cost of
increased operating expenses, increased financing expenses due to additional
investments in utility plant and other costs of doing business. In
Delaware, utilities are permitted by law to place rates into effect, under
bond,
on a temporary basis pending completion of a rate increase
proceeding. The first temporary increase may be up to the lesser of
$2.5 million on an annual basis or 15% of annual gross water
sales. Should the rate case not be completed within seven months, by
law, the utility may put the lesser of the entire requested rate relief or
15%
of annual gross water sales in effect, under bond, until a final resolution
is
ordered and placed into effect. If such rates are found to be in
excess of rates the PSC finds to be appropriate, we must refund the portion
found in excess to customers with interest. The timing of our rate
increase requests are therefore dependent upon the estimated cost of the
administrative process in relation to the investments and expenses that we
hope
to recover through the rate increase. We can provide no assurances
that rate increase requests will be approved by the applicable regulatory
agencies; and, if approved, we cannot guarantee that these rate increases will
be granted in a timely or sufficient manner to cover the investments and
expenses for which we initially sought the rate increase. An increase
in our water rates was approved by the PSC and placed into effect on July 24,
2007, as discussed in Note 6 to the Financial Statements.
In
2003,
legislation was enacted in Delaware requiring all water utilities serving within
northern New Castle County to certify by July 2006 that they have sufficient
sources of self-supply to serve their respective systems. On June 30,
2006, Artesian Water filed our certification related to the adequacy of our
water supply through 2009. After completion of their review, on July
24, 2007, the PSC accepted our certification of sufficient water
supply.
We
are
affected by inflation, most notably by the continually increasing costs required
to maintain, improve and expand our service capability. The
cumulative effect of inflation results in significantly higher facility costs
compared to investments made 20 to 40 years ago, which must be recovered from
future cash flows.
Delaware
statute permits utilities to put into effect, on a semi-annual basis, increases
related to specific types of distribution system improvements through
DSIC. This charge is available to water utilities to be implemented
between general rate increase applications that normally recognize changes
in a
water utility’s overall financial position. The DSIC process is less
costly when compared to the approval process for general rate increase
requests. The DSIC rate applied between base rate filings is capped
at 7.5% of the amount billed to customers under otherwise applicable rates
and
charges, and the DSIC rate increase applied can not exceed 5% within any
12-month period.
Results
of Operations – Analysis of the Three Months Ended September 30, 2007 Compared
to the Three Months Ended September 30, 2006
Operating
Revenues
Revenues
totaled $15.0 million for the three months ended September 30, 2007, $0.8
million, or 6.0% above revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2006
of
$14.2 million. Water sales revenues increased 13.3% for the three
months ended September 30, 2007, over the corresponding period in 2006. Water
sales revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2007 was positively
impacted as a result of increased outdoor usage for irrigation due to generally
dry weather conditions in our typically peak usage months. The
increase in water sales also reflects increases in water rates. As
permitted under Delaware law, a 5.9% increase in rates was placed in effect
on
July 10, 2006 pending conclusion of our filing with the PSC for rate
relief. As a result of the December 19, 2006 PSC approval of a
settlement agreement, water rates were further adjusted effective January 1,
2007 to reflect a total approved increase of 11% with an additional 3% second
step increase in rates that became effective July 24, 2007 upon completion
of
our issuance of common stock. A portion of the increase in water sales revenue
reflects a 2.0% increase in the number of customers served. We
realized 92.1% of our total revenue for the three months ended September 30,
2007 from the sale of water. During the same period last year we
realized 86.2% of our total revenue for water sales, which included a
recognition of a gain on the sale of land by Artesian Development of $1.3
million.
Other
utility operating revenue increased $90,000 for the three months ended September
30, 2007, or 33.7%, from $267,000 in 2006 to $357,000 for the same period in
2007. This increase was primarily due to an increase in our regulated
wastewater operations, which had a $67,000 increase in operating subsidies
and a
$46,000 increase in monthly service charges for the quarter ended September
30,
2007 as compared to the same period in 2006. Several of Artesian
Wastewater’s contracts require developers to pay a one-time contribution toward
the cost of infrastructure and a subsidy to defray the expense of operating
the
wastewater facility through its start up period, as each customer is added
to
the system.
Non
utility operating revenue increased $462,000 for the three months ended
September 30, 2007, or 123.5%, from $374,000 in 2006 to $836,000 for the same
period in 2007. This increase was primarily due to an increase in
Artesian Utility operations, which had a $321,000 increase for the
construction of a water treatment facility in Cecil County,
Maryland. A portion of the increase, approximately $104,000, includes
revenue for wastewater collection system inspection fees. The
increase in revenue also includes a $13,000 increase in Service Line Protection
Plan, or SLP Plan, revenue. The SLP Plan provides coverage for all
material and labor required to repair or replace participants’ leaking water
service lines up to an annual limit.
Operating
Expenses
Operating
expenses, excluding depreciation and income taxes, increased $0.6 million,
or
8.1%, to $7.8 million for the three months ended September 30, 2007, compared
to
$7.2 million for the same period in 2006. The components of the
increase in operating expenses included an increase in utility operating
expenses of $149,000 and an increase in property taxes of
$102,000. Non-utility operating expenses increased $330,000 in the
third quarter of 2007, or 114.2%, compared to the same period last
year.
The
increase in utility operating expense of $149,000 for the quarter ended
September 30, 2007, or 2.4%, over the same period in 2006, is comprised of
increases in payroll and employee benefits costs and administration expense.
These increases were offset by a reduction in purchased water
expense.
Payroll
and employee benefit expense increased $186,000, or 6.2%, compared to the same
period in 2006, primarily due to increases in employee count, employee wages
and
medical insurance premiums.
Administration
expense increased $133,000, or 16.2%, compared to the same period in 2006,
primarily due to an increase in temporary employment services, directors’ fees,
and employee training related to the conversion of our financial reporting
system .
The
increases were offset by a reduction of $220,000, or 25.4%, in purchased
water. This decrease was primarily due to the expiration in December
2006 of our purchased water contract with the City of
Wilmington. That contract had required minimum
purchases. The decrease was partially offset by a $26,000 increase in
purchases from the Chester Water Authority.
Non-utility
expense increased approximately $330,000 for the three months ended September
30, 2007, from the three months ended September 30, 2006, due to more project
activity as compared to the same period in 2006.
Property
taxes increased by $102,000, or 15.7%, compared to the same period in 2006,
reflecting increases in tax rates charged for public schools in various areas
where Artesian holds property and increases in the amount of plants owned by
Artesian. Property taxes are assessed on land, buildings and certain
utility plants, which includes the footage and size of pipe, hydrants and wells
primarily owned by Artesian Water.
The
ratio
of operating expense, excluding depreciation and income taxes, to total revenue
was 51.6% for the three months ended September 30, 2007, compared to 50.6%
for
the three months ended September 30, 2006.
Depreciation
and amortization expense increased $102,000, or 8.3%, over the three months
ended September 30, 2007 as compared to the same period in 2006, due to
continuing investment in utility plant in service providing supply, treatment,
storage and distribution of water.
Federal
and State income tax expense increased $215,000 due to higher profitability
for
the three months ended September 30, 2007, compared to the three months
ended September 30, 2006.
Other
Income, Net
Our
Allowance for Funds Used During Construction, or AFUDC, decreased $22,000,
or
22.0%, compared to the same period in 2006, as a result of lower long-term
construction activity subject to AFUDC for the third quarter of 2007 compared
to
the same period in 2006.
Interest
Charges
Interest
charges decreased $151,000, or 9.2%, for the three months ended September 30,
2007, compared to the three months ended September 30, 2006, primarily because
we used the proceeds from our June 2007 equity issuance to pay off the
outstanding balances of our short term debt.
Net
Income
Our
net
income increased $156,000, or 6.0%, for the three months ended September 30,
2007, compared to the same period a year ago. The increase in net
income for the three months was primarily due to higher operating income margins
and from our non-utility subsidiaries in the third quarter compared to the
same
period a year ago. The increase also reflects more water consumption due to
drier weather and higher water rates compared to the same period a year ago
and
lower interest expense as a result of repayment of our outstanding lines of
credit with the proceeds from our stock issuance.
Results
of Operations – Analysis of the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2007 Compared to
the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2006
Operating
Revenues
Revenues
totaled $39.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2007, $2.9
million, or 7.8% above revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2006,
of
$36.7 million. Water sales revenues increased 9.8% for the nine
months ended September 30, 2007, over the corresponding period in
2006. We realized 92.3% of our total revenue for the nine months
ended September 30, 2007 from the sale of water. During the same period last
year we realized 90.6% of our total revenue, which included a recognition of
a
gain on the sale of land by Artesian Development of $1.3
million. Water sales revenue for the nine months ended September 30,
2007 was positively impacted as a result of increased outdoor usage for
irrigation due to generally dry weather conditions in our typically peak usage
months. The increase in water sales also reflects increases in water rates.
As
permitted under Delaware law, a 5.9% increase in rates was placed in effect
on
July 10, 2006 pending conclusion of our filing with the PSC for rate relief.
As
a result of the December 19, 2006 PSC approval of a settlement agreement, water
rates were further adjusted effective January 1, 2007 to reflect a total
approved increase of 11% with an additional 3% second step increase in rates
that became effective July 24, 2007 upon completion of our issuance of common
stock. A portion of the increase in water sales revenue reflects a 2.0% increase
in the number of customers served. This increase was moderated by a decrease
in
revenue related to the DSIC, which was not in effect during the first nine
months of 2007 but generated $225,000 in revenue during the first
nine months of 2006. Further, there was an adjustment of
$154,000 related to our 2004 rate case reserve in January 2006.
The
increase in other utility operating revenue of $480,000, or 61.6%, was primarily
due to increases in operational subsidies paid by developers for various
wastewater plants, compared to the same period last year. Several of
Artesian Wastewater’s contracts require developers to pay a one-time
contribution toward the cost of infrastructure and a subsidy to defray the
expense of operating the wastewater facility through its start up period, as
each customer is added to the system. The increase in operational
subsidies accounted for $324,000 of the increase, while monthly service charges
for our wastewater customers increased by $145,000 over the same period last
year.
The
increase in the non-utility revenues in the amount of $457,000 was due to an
increase in wastewater construction activity compared to the same period last
year. This is in addition to a $146,000 increase in SLP Plan
revenue. The SLP Plan provides coverage for all material and labor
required to repair or replace participants’ leaking water service lines up to an
annual limit.
Operating
Expenses
Operating
expenses, excluding depreciation and income taxes, increased $2.0 million,
or
9.3%, to $23.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2007, compared
to
$21.0 million for the same period in 2006. The components of the
increase in operating expenses included an increase in utility operating
expenses of $1.4 million and an increase in property taxes of
$209,000. Non-utility operating expenses increased $325,000 in the
first nine months of 2007, or 36.4%, compared to the same period last
year.
The
increase in utility operating expense of $1.4 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2007, or 7.8%, over the same period in 2006, is comprised of
increases in purchased power expense, payroll and employee benefits,
administration expense and repair and maintenance expense. These
increases were offset by a decrease to purchased water expense.
Purchased
power expense increased $447,000, or 34.6%, compared to the same period in
2006,
due to an increase in electric rates of approximately 92% effective May
2006. Price caps instituted by electric restructuring legislation in
Delaware in 1999 were lifted in 2006, resulting in extreme price increases
for
all of Delmarva Power's customers. Artesian sought to mitigate these
increases by signing a two-year supply contract with another provider at a
fixed
price in May 2006.
Payroll
and employee benefit expense increased $629,000, or 6.8%, compared to the same
period in 2006, primarily due to increases in employee count, employee wages
and
medical insurance premiums.
Administration
expense increased $423,000, or 15.9%, compared to the same period in 2006,
primarily due to an increase of $233,000 in temporary employment services used
by Artesian Water. There was also an increase of $132,000 in directors’ fees due
to increased frequency of meetings and fee increases. Employee training has
increased as well compared to the same period in 2006 primarily due to the
conversion of our financial reporting system scheduled for implementation in
January 2008.
Repair
and maintenance expense increased by $348,000, or 28.4%, compared to the same
period in 2006, due primarily to a $189,000 increase in our tank painting
expense. A new five year agreement, which began July 2006, to paint a
specified number of water storage tanks was negotiated with a contractor
following completion of a previous five year agreement in
2005. Increased expenses were also seen for additional carbon filter
water treatment replacements, repair of mains in Sussex County, Delaware, and
security expense for recently completed facilities.
Purchased
water expense decreased $592,000 compared to the same period a year ago. During
the first nine months of 2006, our purchased water expense attributable to
the
City of Wilmington was $282,000, compared to an expense of $2,000 in the same
period of 2007. We did not renew a contract with the City of Wilmington upon
its
expiration in December 2006 that had required minimum annual water purchases.
The remaining decrease is due to less water purchased from Chester Water
Authority during the first nine months of 2007 compared to the same period
a
year ago.
Property
taxes increased by $209,000, or 10.9%, compared to the same period in 2006,
reflecting increases in tax rates charged for public schools in various areas
where Artesian holds property and increases in the amount of plants owned by
Artesian. Property taxes are assessed on land, buildings and certain
utility plant, which includes the footage and size of pipe, hydrants and wells
primarily owned by Artesian Water.
The
ratio
of operating expense, excluding depreciation and income taxes, to total revenue
was 58.1% for the nine months ended September 30, 2007, compared to 57.3% for
the nine months ended September 30, 2006.
Depreciation
and amortization expense increased $420,000, or 12.3%, over the nine months
ended September 30, 2006, due to increases in our utility plant in service
providing supply, treatment, storage and distribution of water.
Federal
and State income tax expense increased $293,000, or 9.4%, due to higher
profitability for the nine months ended September 30, 2007, compared to the
nine
months ended September 30, 2006.
Other
Income, Net
Our
AFUDC
decreased $6,000, or 2.7%, compared to the same period in 2006, as a result
of
lower long-term construction activity subject to AFUDC for the first nine months
of 2007 compared to the same period in 2006. Miscellaneous Income
increased $115,000 primarily due to income earned on our temporary investments
and recording dividends associated with our investment in
CoBank. CoBank is a cooperative bank that distributes equity and cash
income to its customer-owners. Our ownership interest in CoBank is
the result of our issuance of $50 million in First Mortgage Bonds to CoBank
as
currently reflected on our Balance Sheet.
Interest
Charges
Interest
charges increased $79,000, or 1.7%, for the nine months ended September 30,
2007, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2006, primarily due to
higher average short-term debt outstanding and higher interest rates in 2007
compared to 2006. The average short-term debt interest rate during
the first nine months of 2006 was 5.76%, as compared to 6.32% during the first
nine months of 2007.
Net
Income
Our
net
income increased $228,000, or 4.6%, for the nine months ended September 30,
2007, compared to the same period a year ago. The increase in net
income for the nine months was primarily due to increases in Artesian Water
operating revenues derived from the 2007 rate increases, drier weather, revenues
generated by our SLP Plan and increased activity in contract operations of
Artesian Utility.
LIQUIDITY
AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Our
primary sources of liquidity for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 were
$8.3 million provided by cash flow from operating activities, $6.0 million
in
net contributions and advances from developers, and $20.5 million net proceeds
from the issuance of approximately 1,129,000 shares of Class A non-voting common
stock. Cash flow from operating activities is primarily provided by our utility
operations, and is impacted by the timeliness and adequacy of rate increases
and
changes in water consumption as a result of year-to-year variations in weather
conditions particularly during the summer. A significant part of our
ability to maintain and meet our financial objectives is to assure our
investments in utility plant and equipment are recovered in the rates charged
to
customers. As such, from time to time we file rate increase requests
to recover increases in operating expenses and investments in utility plant
and
equipment.
We
invested $18.6 million in capital expenditures during the first nine months
of
2007 compared to $25.0 million invested during the same period in
2006. These reduced investments are attributable to several factors,
including value engineering of capital projects, regionalization to avoid
construction of new facilities, and, to a lesser extent, the general slowdown
in
the housing market. The primary focus of Artesian Water’s investment
was to continue to provide high quality reliable service to our growing service
territory. We have invested $3.9 million through the nine months
ended September 30, 2007, for the construction of new treatment facilities,
to
enhance or improve existing treatment facilities, and for the rehabilitation
of
pumping equipment to better serve our customers. In addition, we are continuing
our regional approach to building infrastructure through connecting existing
supply infrastructure to new developments and at the same time providing
redundancy to existing developments by connecting them to the regional
system. These efforts resulted in an investment of $4.5 million in
the first nine months of 2007. Artesian Wastewater invested $1.8 million in
the
first nine months of 2007 towards construction of two new wastewater
treatment facilities in Sussex County, Delaware including the construction
of a
regional wastewater system. When completed, Artesian Wastewater will
have invested approximately $6.5 million in these facilities, which will be
capable of serving approximately 1,700 customers. Artesian funded the
TMH acquisition and Carpenters Point acquisition using cash on
hand.
At
September 30, 2007, Artesian Water had lines of credit totaling $40.0 million
to
meet temporary cash requirements. These revolving credit facilities
are unsecured. As of September 30, 2007, we had $40.0 million of
available funds under these lines, as we used the proceeds from the June 2007
common stock issuance to pay off the outstanding balance. The
interest rate for borrowings under each of these lines is the London Interbank
Offering Rate, or “LIBOR,” plus 1.0% or, at our discretion, the banks’ federal
funds rate plus 1.0%. Each bank reviews all of their facilities
annually for renewal.
Commitments
|
Committed
|
Less than
1 Year
|
1-3 Years
|
4-5 Years
|
Over 5 Years
|
|||||||||||||||
Lines
of Credit (in thousands)
|
$ |
-----
|
$ |
-----
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
At
September 30, 2007, Artesian Utility and Artesian Wastewater had lines of credit
with a financial institution for $3.5 million and $10.0 million, respectively,
to meet temporary cash requirements. These revolving credit
facilities are unsecured. As of September 30, 2007, we had not
borrowed funds under any of these lines. The interest rate for
borrowings under each of these lines is the LIBOR plus 1.75%. The
bank reviews its facilities annually for renewal.
On
June
21, 2007, Artesian Water, Artesian Utility, and Artesian Wastewater entered
into
an agreement with a financial institution to invest excess funds overnight,
with
interest paid at the overnight $100,000 repurchase rate established each day
by
the bank. As of September 30, 2007, the interest rate was 3.5%. We
expect to fund our activities for the next twelve months using our available
cash balances and bank credit lines, plus projected cash generated from
operations and the capital markets.
Contractual
Obligations
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Payments Due by Period
|
||||||||||||||||||||
In
thousands
|
Less than
1 Year
|
1-3
Years
|
4-5
Years
|
After 5
Years
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||||
First
Mortgage Bonds (Principal and Interest)
|
$ |
5,501
|
$ |
11,001
|
$ |
11,001
|
$ |
160,496
|
$ |
187,999
|
||||||||||
State
revolving fund loans
|
79
|
1,180
|
1,180
|
6,658
|
9,097
|
|||||||||||||||
Operating
leases
|
167
|
306
|
114
|
1,574
|
2,161
|
|||||||||||||||
Unconditional
purchase obligations
|
2,787
|
5,581
|
5,574
|
30,677
|
44,619
|
|||||||||||||||
Tank
painting contractual obligation
|
374
|
749
|
549
|
0
|
1,672
|
|||||||||||||||
Total
contractual cash obligations
|
$ |
8,908
|
$ |
18,817
|
$ |
18,418
|
$ |
199,405
|
$ |
245,548
|
Long-term
debt obligations reflect the maturities of certain series of our first mortgage
bonds, which we intend to refinance when due. The state revolving
fund loan obligation has an amortizing mortgage payment payable over a 20-year
period, and will be refinanced as future securities are issued. Both
the long-term debt and the state revolving fund loan have certain financial
covenant provisions, the violation of which could result in default and require
the obligation to be immediately repaid, including all interest. For
information about these financial covenant provisions, refer to the Company’s
annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006. We
have not experienced conditions that would result in our default under these
agreements, and we do not anticipate any such occurrence. Payments
for unconditional purchase obligations reflect minimum water purchase
obligations based on rates that are subject to change under our interconnection
agreement with the Chester Water Authority.
Off-Balance
Sheet Arrangements
We
do not
have any off-balance sheet arrangements, including any arrangements with any
structured finance, special purpose or variable interest entities.
Critical
Accounting Assumptions, Estimates and Policies; Recent Accounting
Standards
This
discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations
is
based on the accounting policies used and disclosed in our 2006 consolidated
financial statements and accompanying notes that were prepared in accordance
with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America
and included as part of our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2006. The preparation of those financial statements
required management to make assumptions and estimates that affected the reported
amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and
liabilities at the dates of the financial statements as well as the reported
amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual
amounts or results could differ from those based on such assumptions and
estimates.
Our
critical accounting policies are described in Management's Discussion and
Analysis included in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December
31, 2006. There have been no changes in these accounting
policies. Our significant accounting policies are described in our
2006 consolidated financial statements included in our annual report on Form
10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006.
Information
concerning our implementation and the impact of recent accounting standards
issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board is included in the notes
to
our 2006 consolidated financial statements included in our annual report on
Form
10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006 and also in the notes to our
consolidated financial statements contained in this quarterly report on Form
10-Q. We did not adopt any accounting policy in the first nine months
of 2007 that had a material impact on our financial condition, liquidity or
results of operations.
CAUTION REGARDING
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Statements
in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q which express our “belief,” “anticipation”
or “expectation,” as well as other statements which are not historical fact, are
forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities
Act, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the
Exchange Act and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. Statements regarding our goals, priorities, growth and
expansion plans for our water and wastewater subsidiaries, customer base growth
opportunities in Cecil County, Maryland, our belief regarding our capacity
to
provide water services for the foreseeable future to our customers, our belief
relating to our compliance and the cost to achieve compliance with relevant
governmental regulations, the impact of weather on our operations and the
execution of our strategic initiatives, our expectation relating to the adoption
of recent accounting pronouncements, contract operations opportunities, legal
proceedings, our properties, deferred tax assets, adequacy of our available
sources of financing, the expected recovery of expenses related to our long-term
debt, our expectation to be in compliance with financial covenants in our debt
instruments, our ability to refinance our debt as it comes due, plans to
increase our wastewater treatment operations and other revenue streams less
affected by weather, expected contributions in 2007 to our postretirement
benefit plan, and our liquidity needs are forward-looking statements within
the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and involve
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those projected. Words such as “expects”, “anticipates”,
“intends”, “plans”, “believes”, “seeks”, “estimates”, “projects”, “forecasts”,
“may”, “should”, variations of such words and similar expressions are intended
to identify such forward-looking statements. Certain factors
including changes in weather, changes in our contractual obligations, changes
in
government policies, the timing and results of our rate requests, changes in
economic and market conditions generally, and other matters discussed in our
annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006 could cause
results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking
statements. While the Company may elect to update forward-looking
statements, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so other than as
required by under the federal securities laws and you should not rely on any
forward-looking statement as representation of the Company’s views as of any
date subsequent to the date of the filing of this Quarterly Report on Form
10-Q.
ITEM
3 - QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET
RISK
We
are
subject to the risk of fluctuating interest rates in the normal course of
business. Our policy is to manage interest rates through the use of
fixed rate, long-term debt and, to a lesser extent, short-term
debt. The Company’s interest rate risk related to existing fixed
rate, long-term debt is not material due to the terms of our First Mortgage
Bonds, which have maturity dates ranging from 2018 to 2043.
At
September 30, 2007, Artesian Water had lines of credit of $20.0 million each
with two separate financial institutions totaling $40.0 million to meet
temporary cash requirements. These revolving credit facilities are
unsecured. As of September 30, 2007, we had $40.0 million of
available funds under these lines, as we used the proceeds from the June 2007
common stock issuance to pay off the outstanding balance. The
interest rate for borrowings under each of these lines is the London Interbank
Offering Rate, or “LIBOR,” plus 1.0% or, at our discretion, the banks’ federal
funds rate plus 1.0%. Each bank reviews all of their facilities
annually for renewal.
At
September 30, 2007, Artesian Utility and Artesian Wastewater had lines of credit
with a financial institution for $3.5 million and $10.0 million, respectively,
to meet temporary cash requirements. These revolving credit
facilities are unsecured. As of September 30, 2007, we had not
borrowed funds under these lines. The interest rate for borrowings
under each of these lines is the LIBOR plus 1.75%. The bank reviews its
facilities annually for renewal. Consequently, our interest expense
for short term debt could be materially affected should interest rates change
materially and we have material balances outstanding on our lines of
credit.
ITEM
4 – CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
(a)
|
Evaluation
of Disclosure Controls and
Procedures
|
Our
management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief
Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and
procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based
on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the
period covered by this report are functioning effectively to provide reasonable
assurance that the information required to be disclosed by us in reports filed
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended is (i) recorded,
processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the
rules and forms of the Securities and Exchange Commission and (ii) accumulated
and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and
Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding
disclosure. A controls system cannot provide absolute assurance,
however, that the objectives of the controls system are met, and no evaluation
of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances
of fraud, if any, within a company have been
detected.
(b)
|
Change
in Internal Control over Financial
Reporting
|
No
change
in our internal control over financial reporting occurred during the Company’s
most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely
to materially affect, our internal control over financial
reporting.
PART
II - OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM
1 - LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
There
are
no material legal proceedings pending at this time to which we or any of our
properties is the subject that are material or are expected to have a material
effect on our financial position or operations.
ITEM
1A – RISK FACTORS
In
addition to the other information set forth in this report, you should carefully
consider the factors discussed in Part I, “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006, which could materially
affect our business, financial condition or future results. The risks
described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K are not the only risks facing
us. We depend on the availability of capital for expansion,
construction and maintenance. Additional risks and uncertainties not
currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may
materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and/or operating
results.
ITEM
6 - EXHIBITS
10.1
|
Indemnification
Agreement, dated as of March 12, 2007, between Artesian Resources
Corporation and KPMG LLP (Filed as Exhibit 99.1 to our report on Form
8-K dated March 16, 2007 and filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission on March 16, 2007 and incorporated herein by
reference)
|
31.1
|
Certification
of Chief Executive Officer of the Registrant required by Rule 13a
– 14 (a)
under
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended.*
|
|
|
31.2
|
Certification
of Chief Financial Officer of the Registrant required by Rule 13a
– 14 (a)
under
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended.*
|
|
|
32
|
Certification
of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer required by
Rule
13a-14(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and
Section 1350 of Chapter 63 of Title 18 of the United States Code
(18
U.S.C. Section 1350)*
|
* Filed
herewith
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant
has
duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto
duly authorized.
ARTESIAN
RESOURCES CORPORATION
Date: November
7, 2007
|
By: /s/ DIAN
C. TAYLOR
|
|
Dian
C. Taylor (Principal Executive
Officer)
|
Date: November
7, 2007
|
By: /s/ DAVID
B. SPACHT
|
|
David
B. Spacht (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
|
||
INDEX
TO EXHIBITS
Exhibit
Number
|
|
Description
|
10.1
|
Indemnification
Agreement, dated as of March 12, 2007, between Artesian Resources
Corporation and KPMG LLP (Filed as Exhibit 99.1 to our report on Form
8-K dated March 16, 2007 and filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission on March 16, 2007 and incorporated herein by
reference)
|
|
Certification
of Chief Executive Officer of the Registrant required by Rule 13a
– 14 (a)
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.*
|
||
Certification
of Chief Financial Officer of the Registrant required by Rule 13a
– 14 (a)
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.*
|
||
Certification
of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer required by
Rule
13a-14(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and
Section 1350 of Chapter 63 of Title 18 of the United States Code (18 U.S.C.
Section 1350)*
|
* Filed
herewith
23