AMERICAN STATES WATER CO

Factors affecting our financial performance are summarized under the Overview section in Item 1. Business and Item 1A. Risk Factors.

The U.S. government announced a comprehensive set of tariffs in the second quarter. Following the pause of certain of these tariffs, the majority of the previously announced tariffs have been implemented. The U.S. government has continued to indicate that they could impose additional tariffs on particular countries and to impose global tariffs on certain goods. Such tariffs could impact our results of operations by increasing the costs of various goods, including construction materials. Management is actively engaged with vendors and business partners to reduce financial risks of tariffs; however, the impact of such tariffs is subject to uncertainties regarding whether the U.S. government ultimately imposes additional tariffs, the timing of their implementation, the magnitude of such tariffs and possible exemption for certain goods, among other unknowns.

Water and Electric Segments:

GSWC’s revenues, operating income and cash flows are earned primarily through delivering potable water to homes and businesses in California. BVES’s revenues, operating income and cash flows are primarily earned through delivering electricity in the Big Bear area of San Bernardino County, California. Rates charged to GSWC and BVES customers are authorized by the CPUC. These rates are intended to allow recovery of operating costs and a reasonable rate of return on invested capital. GSWC and BVES plan to continue seeking additional rate increases in future years from the CPUC to recover operating and supply costs, and receive reasonable returns on invested capital. Capital expenditures in future years at GSWC and BVES are expected to remain at substantially higher levels than depreciation expense. When necessary, GSWC and BVES may obtain funds from external sources in the capital markets and through bank borrowings.

General Rate Case Filings and Other Matters:

Water General Rate Case for the years 2025–2027

On January 30, 2025, the CPUC issued a final decision in GSWC’s general rate case application for all its water regions and the general office, which determines new water rates for the years 2025 - 2027. Among other things, the final decision adopted a settlement agreement between GSWC and the Public Advocates Office at the CPUC, which authorized GSWC to invest approximately $573.1 million in capital infrastructure over the three-year capital cycle. The $573.1 million of infrastructure investment includes $17.7 million of advice letter capital investments to be filed for revenue recovery during the second- and third-year attrition increases when those projects are completed. In addition, the approved settlement agreement includes $58.2 million of advice letter capital investments that began construction in 2023 to be filed for revenue recovery during the second- and third-year attrition increases when those projects are completed. Under the approved settlement agreement, beginning in 2025, all of the advice letter projects were allowed to accrue in a memorandum account (i) interest during the construction period at GSWC’s adopted cost of debt until the assets are in service, and (ii) the full rate of return that includes a debt and equity component and all applicable components of the revenue requirement for the projects from the period the assets are in service until the date of the attrition filings.

Excluding revenues for all of the advice letter capital projects discussed above, under the terms of the settlement agreement, GSWC’s adopted operating revenues less water supply costs for 2025 increased by approximately $23 million as compared to the 2024 adopted operating revenues less water supply costs. In December, 2025, GSWC received approval from the CPUC to implement its full second-year rate increases, effective January 1, 2026, that will result in higher adopted operating revenues less water supply cost for 2026 of approximately $32.0 million compared to 2025’s adopted operating revenues less water supply cost. Included in the 2026 increase is nearly $11 million related to the advice letter capital projects previously discussed. The assets from the advice letter projects and the related amounts in the memorandum account were added to the adopted rate base for inclusion in the revenue requirement effective January 1, 2026.

The final decision also addressed GSWC’s request for various regulatory mechanisms that were litigated during the proceeding. Among other things, the final decision rejected GSWC’s request for the continuation of a full sales and revenue decoupling mechanism such as the WRAM and a full cost balancing account for water supply such as the MCBA, and instead ordered GSWC to transition to a modified rate adjustment mechanism (a Monterey-style WRAM or “M-WRAM”) and an incremental cost balancing account (“ICBA”) for supply costs. The final decision also adopted GSWC’s M-WRAM rate design proposal authorizing GSWC to increase the revenue requirement recovery in its fixed service charges to between 45-48% of the revenue requirement depending on the ratemaking area representing approximately 65% of GSWC’s fixed costs in aggregate, and approved GSWC’s request for the continuation of a sales reconciliation mechanism that would allow GSWC to adjust its sales forecast throughout the general rate case cycle to address significant fluctuations in consumption. The M-WRAM tracks the difference between the revenue based on actual metered sales through a tiered volumetric rate and the revenue that would have been received with the same actual metered sales if a standard single quantity rate had been in effect. The ICBA for supply costs tracks differences between the authorized per-unit prices and actual per-unit prices for each supply cost (purchased water, pump tax, and purchased power). The M-WRAM and ICBA were effective January 1, 2025.

Without the WRAM and MCBA, GSWC’s earnings in 2025 were favorably impacted from an actual water supply source mix that included less purchased water than what was authorized in the general rate case and included in the revenue requirement, which was partially offset by the negative impact from a nearly 4% decrease in water consumption compared to amounts adopted in the final general rate case. As a result, the combined impact from changes in water supply source mix compared to adopted levels and fluctuations in consumption did not have a material impact on GSWC’s 2025 earnings. The new 2025 rates and the implementation of the new M-WRAM and ICBA regulatory mechanisms approved in the final decision have been reflected in GSWC’s earnings for the year ended December 31, 2025 that resulted in an increase in recorded revenues of $46.7 million largely from the new rates and an increase in recorded water supply costs of $21.9 million, which combined is an increase of $24.8 million, compared to 2024. GSWC’s future earnings will continue to be subject to volatility as a result of fluctuations in consumption and/or changes in water supply source mix compared to adopted levels.

Water Cost of Capital (“COC”) Proceeding

2026 COC Application

Investor-owned water utilities serving California are required to file their cost of capital applications on a triennial basis. In November 2025, GSWC, along with three other investor-owned California water utilities, requested a further extension of the date by which each of them must file their cost of capital applications. In November 2025, the CPUC approved the request to defer the cost of capital application by another year. The CPUC’s approval postponed the filing date by one year until May 1, 2027, with a corresponding effective date of January 1, 2028. The CPUC also approved the joint parties’ request to leave the current Water Cost of Capital Mechanism (“WCCM”) in place through the one-year deferral period. GSWC’s current authorized rate of return on rate base is 7.93%, based on its weighted cost of capital, which will continue in effect through December 31, 2027. The 7.93% return on rate base includes a return on equity of 10.06%, an embedded cost of debt of 5.1%, and a capital structure with 57% equity and 43% debt.

Electric General Rate Cases:

General Rate Case for Years 2023–2026

On January 16, 2025, the CPUC adopted a final decision in BVES’s general rate case proceeding that set new electric rates retroactive to January 1, 2023 and approved the settlement agreement reached between BVES, Cal Advocates and another intervenor in its entirety. Among other things, the settlement agreement, (i) settled and adopted the revenue requirements for each of the four years 2023 through 2026, and the rate increases for 2024 through 2026 are not subject to an earnings test, (ii) authorized BVES to invest approximately $52.5 million in capital infrastructure included in base rates over the four-year rate cycle and at least an additional $23.1 million (plus an allowance for funds used during construction, or “AFUDC”) to be filed for revenue recovery through advice letters when the projects are completed; (iii) adopted a cost of capital that increased BVES’s adopted return on equity from 9.6% to 10.0%, lowered the cost of debt from 6.6% to 5.51%, and maintained the capital structure of 57% equity and 43% debt, and (iv) approved for recovery the requested capital expenditures and other incremental operating costs already incurred prior to 2023 in connection with BVES’s wildfire mitigation plans that were previously not included in customer rates.

The new electric rates were implemented on March 1, 2025. BVES was also authorized by the CPUC to establish a general rate case memorandum account that made the new rates retroactive to January 1, 2023. The general rate case memorandum account tracked the revenue differences between the 2022 adopted rates and the 2023 and 2024 new rates authorized by the CPUC for future recovery. As of December 31, 2025, the aggregate cumulative under-collection in retroactive revenues related to the full year of 2023 and 2024 amounted to $8.2 million. On April 1, 2025, BVES implemented surcharges to recover the retroactive amounts accumulated related to the new rates, as well as recovery of incremental operating costs incurred prior to 2023 in connection with BVES’s wildfire mitigation plans that were being tracked in memorandum accounts prior to the new rate cycle.

The final decision provided for an increase in adopted operating revenues of $2.2 million for 2025. Furthermore, the previously mentioned advice letter projects of at least $23.1 million are expected to generate additional annual operating revenues of approximately $3 million when the respective projects are completed, placed in service, and filed for recovery in customer rates. These projects also accrue AFUDC during construction that will further increase the revenue requirement. On April 1, 2025, BVES implemented new base rates to recover the revenue requirement associated with $11.6 million (including AFUDC) of capital projects approved for recovery through advice letters. In addition, effective October 1, 2025, BVES began to recover the revenue requirement as a result of an additional advice letter capital project totaling approximately $12.2 million (including AFUDC) that was completed and placed in service.

General Rate Case for Years 2027–2030

On January 30, 2026, BVES filed a new general rate case application that will determine new electric rates for the years 2027 through 2030. Among other things, BVES requested (i) capital budgets of approximately $133 million for the four-year rate cycle, and another approximately $17 million, plus AFUDC, for capital projects to be filed for revenue recovery through advice letters when the projects are completed, and (ii) a capital structure for BVES of 60% equity and 40% debt, a return on equity of 11.30%, an embedded cost of debt of 5.92%, and a return on rate base of 9.15%.

Contracted Services Segment:

ASUS’s revenues, operating income and cash flows are earned by providing water and/or wastewater services, including operation and maintenance services and construction of facilities for the water and/or wastewater systems at various military installations, pursuant to an initial 50-year, firm-fixed-price contract, additional firm-fixed-price contracts, task order agreements and subcontracts with third party prime contractors on military bases. Currently, ASUS has one subsidiary that has entered into a task order agreement with the U.S. government that has a term of 15 years. The contract prices for each of the contracts and recurring task order agreements are subject to annual economic price adjustments. Additional revenues generated by contract operations are primarily dependent on annual economic price adjustments, and new construction activities under contract modifications with the U.S. government or agreements with other third-party prime contractors.

During 2025, ASUS was awarded approximately $29.4 million in new construction projects, some of which were completed in 2025 and the remainder of which are expected to be completed through 2028. ASUS’s subsidiaries expect to continue to enter into U.S. government-awarded contract modifications and agreements with third-party prime contractors for new construction projects at the military bases served.

Effective October 1, 2025, the U.S. government announced its shutdown, which officially ended on November 12, 2025. Amid the U.S. government shutdown, the subsidiaries of ASUS did not experience any earnings impact to their existing operations and maintenance and renewal and replacement services, as utility privatization contracts are an “excepted service.” In the event of a future shutdown, management expects that an impact on ASUS and its operations through its subsidiaries would likely be limited to (a) the timing of funding to pay for services rendered, (b) delays in the processing of EPAs and/or REAs, (c) the timing of the issuance of contract modifications for new construction work not already funded by the U.S. government, (d) the timing of construction work associated with delays in receiving construction permits from furloughs at government agencies, and/or (e) delays in solicitation for and/or awarding of new contracts under the Department of Defense contracting programs. However, in the event a future U.S. government shutdown extends for an unprecedented and much longer period, ASUS’s liquidity and earnings could be impacted.