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Frédéric Dugré on why H2O Innovation’s Q3 2021 Financial Results were “the best quarter ever announced”

written by InvestorNews | May 25, 2021

In a recent InvestorIntel interview, Tracy Weslosky speaks with Frédéric Dugré, President and CEO of H2O Innovation Inc. (TSXV: HEO | OTCQX: HEOFF) about how H2O’s Q3 2021 financial results provided “…the best quarter ever announced” and why “…water is the right space to invest in”.

In this InvestorIntel interview, which may also be viewed on YouTube (click here to subscribe to the InvestorIntel Channel), Frédéric also discusses the significance of H2O winning two new projects and four contract renewals in North America and how they are positioned to potentially benefit from President Biden’s US$111B water infrastructure plan. Further to his Q3 2021 update, Frédéric provides an update on how H2O has increased efforts in the North American water reuse market and is continuing to expand in Latin America. With 7 financial analysts following H2O, Frédéric shares more on how the ESG investment community benefits from investing in clean water.

To watch the full interview, click here

About H2O Innovation Inc.

H2O Innovation designs and provides state-of-the-art, custom-built and integrated water treatment solutions based on membrane filtration technology for municipal, industrial, energy and natural resources end-users. The Corporation’s activities rely on three main pillars. The first one is Water Technologies and Services and includes all types of projects as well as digital solutions (IntelogxTM and Clearlogx®) to monitor and optimize water treatment plants. H2O Innovation’s second pillar, Specialty Products, includes a complete line of maple equipment and products, specialty chemicals, consumables and specialized products for the water industry, through H2O Innovation Maple, PWT, Genesys and Piedmont. The Corporation is now exporting his specialty products in more than 75 countries. Finally, H2O Innovation operates, maintains, and repairs water and wastewater treatment systems, distribution equipment and associated assets for all of its clients and ensures that water quality meets regulatory requirements, through the third pillar – Operation and Maintenance. Together, they employ nearly 470 employees for the operation of more than 275 utilities in two Canadian provinces and twelve US states, mainly on the US Gulf coast, Southeast, Northeast (New England) and the West Coast.

To learn more about H2O Innovation Inc., click here

Disclaimer: H2O Innovation Inc. is an advertorial member of InvestorIntel Corp.

This interview, which was produced by InvestorIntel Corp. (IIC) does not contain, nor does it purport to contain, a summary of all the material information concerning the “Company” being interviewed. IIC offers no representations or warranties that any of the information contained in this interview is accurate or complete. 

This presentation may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation.  Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and assumptions of management of the Company as of the date made. They are inherently susceptible to uncertainty and other factors that could cause actual events/results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Additional risks and uncertainties, including those that the Company does not know about now or that it currently deems immaterial, may also adversely affect the Company’s business or any investment therein.

Any projections given are principally intended for use as objectives and are not intended, and should not be taken,  as assurances that the projected results will be obtained by the Company. The assumptions used may not prove to be accurate and a potential decline in the Company’s financial condition or results of operations may negatively impact the value of its securities. Prospective investors are urged to review the Company’s profile on www.Sedar.com and to carry out independent investigations in order to determine their interest in investing in the Company.

If you have any questions surrounding the content of this interview, please email [email protected].



With 7 Analysts on board and up almost 140% in the past twelve months this attractive water pure-play is a true ESG

written by InvestorNews | May 25, 2021

On May 13, H2O Innovations (TSXV: HEO | OTC: HEOFF | FSE: DB: H3O1) announced fiscal third-quarter financial results for the month ending March 31, 2021.

The company started the year off strong with quarterly revenue up 8.6% year-over-year and net earnings hitting C$2.1 million in the quarter, up from a loss of C$3.1 million in the same fiscal period last year.

H2O beat analysts’ consensus revenue and earnings estimates as revenue hit C$39.2 million in the quarter, up from C$36.1 million in the same quarter last year, with revenue increases coming from both organic growth and through acquisitions.

Gross profit margins remained strong at 28%, consistent with the margins last year, and adjusted EBITDA reached C$4.5 million or 11.5% of revenues, compared to C$3.8 million, or 10.5 % of revenues, for the same fiscal period last year.

Most importantly, operational cash flows hit a record C$10.2 million in the quarter up from C$0.9 million in the comparable quarter of the previous fiscal year.

Understanding H2O

H2O is a Canadian wastewater treatment solutions company that designs, builds, and supports facilities based on membrane filtration technologies for municipal, industrial, energy, and natural resources end-users.

H2O operates through three main business segments:

  1. Water Technologies and Services (WTS), which designs and builds custom water, wastewater, and water reuse systems and treatment plants, with more than 750 systems installed in North America;
  2. Specialty Products (SP), which develops specialized chemicals and consumables from its subsidiaries, such as Maple, PWT, Genesys, and Piedmont, and distributes through a network of over 100 partners; and,
  3. Operation and Maintenance (O&M), which operates more than 275 facilities in 12 states in the U.S. and two Canadian provinces.

Figure 1: Three main business segments – Water Technologies and Services (WTS), Specialty Products (SP), and Operation and Maintenance (O&M)

H2O - Business Units

Source:

Solid Pipeline of New Sales and Renewals

Earlier this month, H2O announced winning two new projects and renewed four operation and maintenance contracts in the O&M business segment, with a total value of C$3.3 million. With these contracts, the total O&M backlog increased to C$63.5 million.

The new contracts comprise the operation, maintenance, and management of a Municipal water treatment facility in Texas and the operation and maintenance of an effluent treatment facility at an agriculture-food processing plant in Alberta, Canada.

H2O also renewed four municipal O&M contracts in Vermont with the first contract renewed for over five years, the second and third contracts extended for five years, and the fourth contract was renewed until March 2022.

M&A Driving Growth

As part of its 3-year strategic plan announced in December 2020, H2O commented that it intended to complete between two to four acquisitions within the next 30 months.

In February 2021, the company closed the acquisition of the remaining 76% of Genesys Membrane Products (GMP) in Spain that it originally had taken a 24% ownership stake in through the acquisition of Genesys in the United Kingdom in 2019.

GMP reported revenue of approximately €5.00 million (C$7.75 million) in 2020 of which 24% was already accounted for in H2O financials.

GMP expands the company’s specialty chemical products and laboratory services to an international distributor network that focuses on Latin America, primarily within the mining industry.

In July 2020, H2O announced a C$3.7 million acquisition of Gulf Utility Service (GUS), a U.S. water utilities company. GUS booked revenue of approximately US$5.0 million and EBITDA of US$0.6 million in 2019.

In the recent quarter, over 95% of the revenue growth was from its recent M&A activity; the GUS acquisition contributed C$1.3 million in additional revenue and the acquisition of GMP in February contributed an additional C$1.5 million in revenue.

Biden’s Infrastructure Plan Adding Billions to a Hundred-Billion-Dollar Market

In April, the U.S. legislators passed the “Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021” that authorizes almost US$35 billion over five years to a variety of programs focused on safe drinking water, wastewater treatment, sewer overflows, and stormwater management.

This Act is only the first part of President Biden’s US$111 billion plan for water infrastructure improvements as a component of the American Jobs Plan.

In H2O’s recent quarterly conference call, CEO Frédéric Dugré stated, “we want to reiterate that we welcome very positively the $30 billion water-related infrastructure plan announced earlier by President Biden at the end of April. We believe many opportunities will emerge from this stimulus plan, notably for new water reuse projects in order to fight back the growing water scarcity mode in Southern states.”

Even without these new U.S. government funding initiatives, the global water market is expected to grow from US$854.0 billion this year to US$914.9 billion by 2023, according to the latest report published by Global Water Intelligence (GWI).

GWI’s Global Water and Wastewater Treatment market consist of both operating and capital expenditures by utilities and industrial water users on water and wastewater.

The Water and Wastewater Treatment market experienced renewed activity and high growth due to declining water qualities and growing demand for cost-efficient and environmentally friendly water technologies and services.

However, several challenges hinder the Water and Wastewater Treatment market, including high capital costs for equipment, outdated and inefficient water infrastructures. Companies such as H2O benefit as governments look to reduce costs by shifting operations to third-party Water and Wastewater Treatment companies.

Final Thoughts

As Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing causes a shift towards finding long-term financial returns that are aligned with social values, H2O remains an attractive water pure-play with a strong balance sheet, a large sales backlog, and profits.

H2O’s stock is currently trading at C$2.40 per share, up almost 140% in the past twelve months. Seven analysts cover the company, all with a “Buy” rating, and price targets ranging from C$3.25 to C$4.00. Currently, H2O has a market cap of C$197.4 million.