Item 8.01Item 8.01 - Other Events
Item 8.01. Other Events
On March 2, 2026, the
Company entered into an Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Wells Fargo
Securities, LLC, as representatives (the “Representatives”) of the several underwriters named therein (the “Underwriters”),
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, acting in their capacity as forward sellers (in such capacity, the “Forward
Sellers”), and JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association, New York Branch and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, acting in
their capacity as forward purchasers (in such capacity, the “Forward Purchasers”), in connection with the underwritten public
offering by the Underwriters (the “Offering”) of 11,484,824 shares (the “Offered Shares”) of the Company’s
common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”). Of the Offered Shares, 3,937,654 shares were issued and sold
by the Company to the Underwriters, and 7,547,170 shares were borrowed from third parties and sold to the Underwriters by the Forward
Sellers.
On March 3, 2026, the
Underwriters exercised in full their option to purchase an additional 1,722,723 shares of Common Stock pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement.
On March 2, 2026 the
Company entered into forward sale agreements (the “Forward Sale Agreements”) with each of the Forward Purchasers, relating
to an aggregate of 7,547,170 shares of Common Stock, to be borrowed from third parties and sold by the Forward Sellers to the Underwriters.
The Forward Sale Agreements
provide for settlement on a settlement date or dates to be specified at the Company’s discretion on or prior to March 2, 2028.
On a settlement date or dates, if the Company decides to physically settle the Forward Sale Agreements, the Company will issue shares
of Common Stock to the Forward Purchasers at the then-applicable forward sale price. The forward sale price will initially be $51.2775
per share, which is the price at which the Underwriters have agreed to buy the shares of Common Stock pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement.
The Forward Sale Agreements provide that the initial forward sale price will be subject to adjustment based on a floating interest rate
factor equal to the overnight bank funding rate less a spread, and will be subject to decrease on each of certain dates specified in the
Forward Sale Agreements by amounts related to expected dividends on shares of the Company’s Common Stock during the term of the
Forward Sale Agreements. If the overnight bank funding rate is less than the spread on any day, the interest rate factor will result in
a daily reduction of the forward sale price. The forward sale price will also be subject to decrease if the cost to a Forward Seller of
borrowing the number of shares of the Company’s Common Stock underlying the applicable Forward Sale Agreement exceeds a specified
amount.
Before the issuance of shares
of the Company’s Common Stock, if any, upon settlement of the Forward Sale Agreements, the Company expects that the shares issuable
upon settlement of the Forward Sale Agreements will be reflected in the Company’s diluted earnings per share calculations using
the treasury stock method. Under this method, the number of shares of the Company’s Common Stock used in calculating diluted earnings
per share is deemed to be increased by the excess, if any, of the number of shares of the Company’s Common Stock that would be issued
upon full physical settlement of the Forward Sale Agreements over the number of shares of the Company’s Common Stock that could
be purchased by the Company in the market (based on the average market price of the Company’s Common Stock during the applicable
reporting period) using the proceeds receivable upon full physical settlement (based on the adjusted forward sale price at the end of
the applicable reporting period). Consequently, the Company anticipates there will be no dilutive effect on the Company’s earnings
per share except during periods when the average market price of shares of the Company’s Common Stock is above the applicable adjusted
forward sale price, which is initially $51.2775 per share, subject to increase or decrease based on the overnight bank funding rate, less
a spread, and subject to decrease by amounts related to expected dividends on shares of the Company’s Common Stock during the term
of the Forward Sale Agreements.
However, if the Company decides
to physically or net share settle the Forward Sale Agreements, delivery of shares of the Company’s Common Stock on any physical
or net share settlement of the Forward Sale Agreements will result in dilution to the Company’s earnings per share.
The Forward Sale Agreements
will be physically settled, unless the Company elects to settle the Forward Sale Agreements in cash or to net share settle the Forward
Sale Agreements (which the Company has the right to do, subject to certain conditions). If the Company decides to physically settle or
net share settle the Forward Sale Agreements, delivery of shares of Common Stock upon any physical settlement or net share settlement
of the Forward Sale Agreements will result in dilution to the Company’s earnings per share. If the Company elects cash or net share
settlement for all or a portion of the shares of Common Stock underlying such Forward Sale Agreements, the Company would expect each of
the Forward Purchasers or their respective affiliates to purchase a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the portion for which the
Company elects cash or net share settlement to the extent necessary to satisfy its obligations to return the shares of the Company’s
Common Stock the Forward Purchasers or their respective affiliates have borrowed in connection with sales of Common Stock in the Offering
and, if applicable in connection with net share settlement, to deliver shares of Common Stock to the Company. If the market value of Common
Stock at the time of such purchase is above the forward sale price at that time, the Company will pay or deliver, as the case may be,
to the Forward Purchasers under the Forward Sale Agreements, an amount in cash, or a number of shares of Common Stock with a market value,
equal to such difference. Any such difference could be significant. Conversely, if the market value of Common Stock at the time of such
purchase is below the forward sale price at that time, the Forward Purchasers will pay or deliver, as the case may be, to the Company
under the Forward Sale Agreements, an amount in cash, or a number of shares of Common Stock with a market value, equal to such difference.
Each Forward Purchaser will
have the right to accelerate its respective Forward Sale Agreement (or, in certain cases, the portion thereof that it determines is affected
by the relevant event) and require the Company to physically settle such Forward Sale Agreement on a date specified by such Forward Purchaser
if:
in
the good faith, commercially reasonable judgment of such Forward Purchaser, it or its affiliate, is unable to hedge its exposure
to the transactions contemplated by such Forward Sale Agreement because of the lack of sufficient shares of the Company’s Common
Stock being made available for borrowing by stock lenders, or it, or its affiliate, is unable to borrow such number of shares at
a rate equal to or less than an agreed maximum stock loan rate;
the
Company declares any dividend or distribution on shares of the Company’s Common Stock payable in (i) cash in excess of
a specified amount (other than an extraordinary dividend), (ii) securities of another company, or (iii) any other type
of securities (other than the Company’s Common Stock), rights, warrants, or other assets for payment (cash or other consideration)
at less than the prevailing market price, as reasonably determined by such Forward Purchaser;
certain
ownership thresholds applicable to such Forward Purchaser are exceeded;
an
event is announced that, if consummated, would result in an extraordinary event (as defined in such Forward Sale Agreement), including,
among other things, certain mergers and tender offers, as well as certain events such as a delisting of the Company’s Common
Stock (each as more fully described in the relevant Forward Sale Agreement); or
certain
other events of default or termination events occur, including, among other things, any material misrepresentation made by the Company
in connection with entry into such Forward Sale Agreement, the Company’s bankruptcy (except as described in the prospectus
supplement) or certain changes in law (each as more fully described in each Forward Sale Agreement).
In the ordinary course of
their respective businesses, the Forward Purchasers and the Forward Sellers and/or their affiliates have in the past and may in the future
provide the Company and its affiliates with financial advisory and other services for which they have and in the future will receive customary
fees. For example, the Forward Purchasers and affiliates of the Underwriters are lenders under the Company’s credit facilities.
In connection with their participation in the Company’s credit facilities, the Forward Purchasers and such affiliates of the Underwriters
receive customary fees, and to the extent that the Company uses any of the net proceeds of the Offering to repay future borrowings outstanding
under the Company’s credit facilities, the Forward Purchasers and such affiliates of the Underwriters will receive their proportionate
share of any amount of the Company’s credit facilities that is repaid with the net proceeds of the Offering.
The foregoing descriptions
of the Underwriting Agreement and the Forward Sale Agreements do not purport to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by reference
to the full text of the Underwriting Agreement and the Forward Sale Agreements, which are filed as Exhibit 1.1, Exhibit 10.1
and Exhibit 10.2, hereto, respectively, and are incorporated herein by reference.
The Offered Shares are being
offered and sold pursuant to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 (Registration No. 333-282881) (the “Registration
Statement”). Attached hereto as Exhibit 5.1 is the opinion of counsel regarding the validity of the Offered Shares.
Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This communication contains forward-looking statements
within the meaning of the federal securities laws relating to the Offering and the anticipated timeline for the Offering, as well as anticipated
future performance, financial and other benefits, scale, diversification, synergies and strategic direction of the combined operations.
These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections about the Company and its subsidiaries and the
industries in which the Company and its subsidiaries operate and the beliefs and assumptions of the management of the Company. Some of
these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “believes,” “expects,”
“may,” “will,” “should,” “seeks,” “approximately,” “intends,”
“plans,” “estimates,” “projects,” “strategy,” or “anticipates,” or the negative
of those words or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and are subject to risks, uncertainties
and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual results may differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any
forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those
discussed in other reports and documents the Company files with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), specifically
the most recent Form 10-K and reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC, each as it may be amended from time to time. The accuracy
of such statements is subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions including, but not limited to, the following factors:
(1) the risks associated with the proposed transactions with Quadvest, L.P., a Texas limited partnership, and Quadvest Wholesale,
LLC, a Texas limited liability company (together “Quadvest”), including, the risk of the proposed transactions not closing
on the anticipated timeline, or at all, the ability to obtain required regulatory approvals, and the ability to successfully integrate
Quadvest’s operations and realize the projected financial and other benefits of the proposed transactions; (2) the effect of
water, utility, environmental and other governmental policies and regulations, including regulatory actions concerning rates, authorized
return on equity, authorized capital structures, capital expenditures, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) and other
decisions; (3) changes in demand for water and other services; (4) unanticipated weather conditions and changes in seasonality
including those affecting water supply and customer usage; (5) the effect of the impacts of climate change; (6) unexpected costs,
charges or expenses; (7) our ability to successfully evaluate investments in new business and growth initiatives; (8) contamination
of our water supplies and damage or failure of our water equipment and infrastructure; (9) the risk of work stoppages, strikes and
other labor-related actions; (10) catastrophic events such as fires, earthquakes, explosions, floods, ice storms, tornadoes, hurricanes,
terrorist acts, physical attacks, cyber-attacks, epidemic or similar occurrences; (11) changes in general economic, political, business
and financial market conditions; (12) the ability to obtain financing on favorable terms, which can be affected by various factors, including
credit ratings, changes in interest rates, compliance with regulatory requirements, compliance with the terms and conditions of our outstanding
indebtedness, and general market and economic conditions; and (13) legislative and general market and economic developments. Actual results
are subject to other risks and uncertainties that relate more broadly to our overall business, including those more fully described in
our filings with the SEC, including our most recent reports on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K. Forward-looking statements
are not guarantees of performance, and speak only as of the date made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any
forward-looking statements except as required by law.