Net income from continuing operations attributable to Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. stockholders for 2024 was $6,941,414 ($0.43 per share on a fully diluted basis), as compared to a net income from continuing operations of $4,072,789 ($0.26 per share on a fully diluted basis) for 2023.
Revenue for 2024 increased to $39,689,390 from $32,868,990 in 2023, reflecting revenue increases in all segments except for the bulk segment which had a slight decrease. Gross profit for 2024 was $13,878,023 (35% of total revenue) as compared to $10,559,082 (32% of total revenue) for 2023. For further discussion of revenue and gross profit see the “Results by Segment” discussion and analysis that follows.
General and administrative (“G&A”) expenses on a consolidated basis increased to $6,564,029 for 2024 as compared to $6,036,662 for 2023. The increase in G&A expenses for 2024 relates primarily to additional G&A expenses of approximately $388,000 attributable to REC, which was acquired in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Other income (expense), net, increased to $418,184 for 2024 as compared to an expense of $157,059 for 2023 primarily due to interest income which increased by approximately $132,500 in 2024 primarily due to the increase in CW-Bahamas delinquent accounts receivable balances, on which we earn interest income. The balance of the increase is due to higher earning on interest earning assets.
Results by Segment
Retail Segment:
The retail segment contributed $969,262 and $35,907 to our income from operations for 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Revenue generated by our retail water operations increased to $8,624,938 in 2024 from $7,771,095 in 2023 due to an overall 6% increase in the volume of water sold. The volume of water sold to end consumers within our retail service area increased by 10%, but was partially offset by reduced volume sales to the WAC. We believe the increase in the volume of water sold in 2024 resulted in part from a 2.8% increase in the number of customer accounts in our license area from 2023 to 2024. In addition, significantly less rainfall on Grand Cayman in 2024 as compared to 2023 was also a likely contributor to the increase in water sold from 2023 to 2024.
Retail segment gross profit increased to $5,073,594 (59% of retail revenue) for 2024 from $4,220,301 (54% of retail revenue) for 2023 due to the revenue increase. Retail segment gross profit as a percentage of revenue increased in 2024 as compared to 2023 due to; (i) the overall increase in water volume sold and (ii) the higher average rate we charged for water in 2024 due to significantly lower sales to the WAC which pays a lower rate for water compared to customers within our retail service area.
Consistent with prior periods, we record all non-direct G&A expenses in our retail segment and do not allocate any of these non-direct costs to our other three business segments. Retail G&A expenses remained relatively consistent at $4,104,332 for 2024 as compared to $4,177,107 for 2023.
Bulk Segment:
The bulk segment contributed $2,432,695 and $2,419,522 to our income from operations for 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Bulk segment revenue was $8,342,094 and $9,004,373 for 2024 and 2023, respectively. The decrease in bulk revenue from 2023 to 2024 reflects a 2% decrease in the volume of water sold and a decrease in the price of energy for CW-Bahamas, which decreased the energy pass-through component of CW-Bahamas’ rates.
Gross profit for our bulk segment was $2,776,836 (33% of bulk revenue) and $2,761,227 (31% of bulk revenue) for 2024 and 2023, respectively. Gross profit as a percentage of revenue increased in 2024 as compared to 2023 due to a reduction in the price of energy and reductions in various operating expenses, most notably chemicals.
Bulk segment G&A expenses remained relatively consistent at $344,141 for 2024 as compared to $352,975 for 2023.