Water utilities - ReportWire

MOBILTEX Announces Completion of SOC 2 Compliance

CALGARY, Alberta, August 15, 2023 (Newswire.com)
–
MOBILTEX (an XPV Water Partners company), a leading provider of innovative IIoT hardware and software solutions for cathodic protection, pipeline integrity, and pressurized pipeline remote monitoring within a broad range of industrial and municipal markets, is proud to announce a significant step towards ensuring unparalleled security and reliability for its clients through the successful completion of its Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 compliance.

The SOC 2 compliance serves as a testament to MOBILTEX’s commitment to upholding the highest standards of security and operational effectiveness. Achieving this compliance affirms that MOBILTEX’s systems, processes, and controls have been evaluated and audited by a certified third-party firm, confirming that they meet the stringent requirements set by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) for securing and processing customer data.

Tony da Costa, VP of Engineering, remarked on this milestone achievement, saying, “At MOBILTEX, we’ve always placed the trust and security of our clients at the highest level, and our commitment to safeguarding the data integrity of the critical infrastructure assets we monitor is an ongoing and constantly evolving initiative. By achieving SOC 2 compliance, we’re not only delivering on our promise to always uphold the highest security standards but also showcasing our dedication to the stakeholders who rely on our technology for their essential operations. I’m incredibly proud of our team for meeting and exceeding these rigorous industry standards.”

“Obtaining the SOC 2 certification reinforces MOBILTEX’s ongoing commitment to the security, availability, and processing integrity of the CorView platform and all our cloud-based solutions,” says Marc Bracken, CEO at MOBILTEX. “Our customers can be confident that we are making significant investments to establish and maintain the highest level of security and compliance.”

The implications of SOC 2 level security are profound for organizations managing critical infrastructure, as it offers a comprehensive framework to ensure data protection, system integrity, and overall resilience against potential threats. With an ever-evolving digital landscape, MOBILTEX recognizes the importance of staying ahead of potential vulnerabilities and threats. This compliance will further bolster the company’s reputation as a trusted partner for critical infrastructure remote monitoring across the many industries served around the globe.

ABOUT MOBILTEX

MOBILTEX Data Ltd. (an XPV Water Partners company) is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and is proud to serve hundreds of industrial, municipal, and commercial customers around the globe — delivering mission-critical integrity monitoring solutions on over 260,000 kilometers of pipeline assets. MOBILTEX innovative field and cloud-connected technologies deliver significant operational, safety, and ESG benefits to Water Utilities, Energy, and Critical Infrastructure operations. As our reputation grows, we continue to invest and expand our patented IIoT and AI/ML advancements while leveraging 5G cellular and satellite communications across our portfolio. MOBILTEX is widely recognized in the industry for innovation, reliability, and our world-class service and support.

Source: MOBILTEX

Source link

August 15, 2023

MOBILTEX Releases the GCRTech PFL1 — Next-Generation Portable Water Pressure + Flow Data Logger

Press Release
•

Aug 15, 2023 10:00 MDT

Water engineers can now accurately capture pressure and flow data in even the most extreme locations using a compact device that is incredibly robust, with industry-leading battery runtimes.

CALGARY, Alberta, August 15, 2023 (Newswire.com)
–
MOBILTEX [an XPV Water Partners company] has launched its latest innovation for the Water Utilities industry, the GCRTech PFL1 Portable Pressure/Flow Data Logger. Based on the field-proven design of the GCRTech PTRI/TRI data logger, MOBILTEX has further enhanced the device to deliver a more robust, reliable and effective solution for field capture of critical pressure and flow data for water utility operators.

Accurate and reliable data logging is vital for water utilities to accurately and reliably record parameters for pressure and flow across the water network by interfacing with common industry flow meters and sensors to enable efficient network management. Visibility of district-metered areas (DMAs) combined with network models, pressure surveys, consumer flow monitoring and reservoir depth calculations all mean water companies are able to make informed decisions that will result in a reduction in the cost of network ownership. With more data comes increased insight and ultimately increased value.

The completely updated PFL1 range of data loggers utilizes MOBILTEX’s patented data logging architecture that allows the user to monitor pressure/flow inputs in a multitude of configurations, providing ultimate flexibility to meet specific application requirements. The PFL1 non-volatile memory organizes each data file as an independent data logger record with its own start/stop time, sample rate, and logging rate. The memory register size is designed to be ready to accommodate overflows associated with high pulse rates on Flow inputs. Pressure measurement accuracy is optimized using multi-point calibration and logged data can be recalibrated before, during or after the recording by recalibrating the pressure transducer to the logger.

Some applications for the GCRTech PFL1 include Leakage Flow-Monitoring; Fire Flow Testing /C-Factor Testing; Pressure/PRV Monitoring; Hydraulic Network Analysis; Pressure Surge Detection; Minimum Night Flow Analysis; and Low-Pressure Investigations.

Some of the key features of the PI-1 include:

One to three selectable channels (2 Flow/1 Pressure) Internal & external pressure sensor configs available
2 MB Flash non-volatile memory organized into 6 separate data files — 60,000 readings each, and 2 separate data files — 250,000 readings each
Data is retained for 10 years if battery power fails
Configurable Sampling Rate: 1 second to 15 minutes
Configurable Logging Rate: 5 seconds to 24 hours
Logged data types: Average, Instantaneous, Minimum, Maximum
Flow Logging Modes: Pulse, Event, Pulse Interval Timing
Communications: IrDA — Baud Rate of 115,200 Baud
Completely waterproof and submersible (IP68)
Battery life > 5 years under normal operation

“The enhanced GCRTech PFL1 release is an exciting milestone for GCRTech and represents the coming evolution for the entire GCRTech portfolio. Field technicians in the Water Utilities space now can easily and accurately capture pressure/flow data in even the most extreme locations using a compact, intelligently engineered solution that is lightweight, incredibly robust and also delivers the real-world runtimes that field engineers require,” said Marc Bracken, MOBILTEX CEO.

Visit www.mobiltex.com/pfl1 to learn more about the GCRTech PFL1 and the entire suite of Pressurized Pipeline Network Monitoring solutions from the MOBILTEX GCRTech Product Group.

Source: MOBILTEX Data Ltd.

Source link

August 15, 2023

Best stock picks for 2023: Here are Wall Street analysts’ most heavily favored choices

Following a sharp and sustained rise in interest rates, U.S. stocks have taken a broad beating this year.

But 2023 may bring very different circumstances.

Below are lists of analysts’ favorite stocks among the benchmark S&P 500
SPX,
the S&P 400 Mid Cap Index
MID
and the S&P Small Cap 600 Index
SML
that are expected to rise the most over the next year. Those lists are followed by a summary of opinions of all 30 stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average
DJIA.

Stocks rallied on Dec. 13 when the November CPI report showed a much slower inflation pace than economists had expected. Investors were also anticipating the Federal Open Market Committee’s next monetary policy announcement on Dec. 14. The consensus among economists polled by FactSet is for the Federal Reserve to raise the federal funds rate by 0.50% to a target range of 4.50% to 4.75%.

Read: 5 things to watch when the Fed makes its interest-rate decision

A 0.50% increase would be a slowdown from the four previous increases of 0.75%. The rate began 2022 in a range of zero to 0.25%, where it had sat since March 2020.

A pivot for the Fed Reserve and the possibility that the federal funds rate will reach its “terminal” rate (the highest for this cycle) in the near term could set the stage for a broad rally for stocks in 2023.

Wall Street’s large-cap favorites

Among the S&P 500, 92 stocks are rated “buy” or the equivalent by at least 75% of analysts working for brokerage firms. That number itself is interesting — at the end of 2021, 93 of the S&P 500 had this distinction. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 has declined 16% in 2022, with all sectors down except for energy, which has risen 53%, and the utilities sector, which his risen 1% (both excluding dividends).

Here are the 20 stocks in the S&P 500 with at least 75% “buy” or equivalent ratings that analysts expect to rise the most over the next year, based on consensus price targets:

Company	Ticker	Industry	Closing price – Dec. 12	Consensus price target	Implied 12-month upside potential	Share “buy” ratings	Price change – 2022 through Dec. 12
EQT Corp.	EQT	Oil and Gas Production	$36.91	$59.70	62%	78%	69%
Catalent Inc.	CTLT	Pharmaceuticals	$45.50	$72.42	59%	75%	-64%
Amazon.com Inc.	AMZN	Internet Retail	$90.55	$136.02	50%	91%	-46%
Global Payments Inc.	GPN	Misc. Commercial Services	$99.64	$147.43	48%	75%	-26%
Signature Bank	SBNY	Regional Banks	$122.73	$180.44	47%	78%	-62%
Salesforce Inc.	CRM	Software	$133.11	$195.59	47%	80%	-48%
Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc. Class A	BIO	Medical Specialties	$418.28	$591.00	41%	100%	-45%
Zoetis Inc. Class A	ZTS	Pharmaceuticals	$152.86	$212.80	39%	87%	-37%
Delta Air Lines Inc.	DAL	Airlines	$34.77	$48.31	39%	90%	-11%
Diamondback Energy Inc.	FANG	Oil and Gas Production	$134.21	$182.33	36%	84%	24%
Caesars Entertainment Inc	CZR	Casinos/ Gaming	$50.27	$67.79	35%	81%	-46%
Alphabet Inc. Class A	GOOGL	Internet Software/ Services	$93.31	$125.70	35%	92%	-36%
Halliburton Co.	HAL	Oilfield Services/ Equipment	$34.30	$45.95	34%	86%	50%
Alaska Air Group Inc.	ALK	Airlines	$45.75	$61.08	34%	93%	-12%
Targa Resources Corp.	TRGP	Gas Distributors	$70.42	$93.95	33%	95%	35%
Charles River Laboratories International Inc.	CRL	Misc. Commercial Services	$201.94	$269.25	33%	88%	-46%
ServiceNow Inc.	NOW	Information Technology Services	$401.64	$529.83	32%	92%	-38%
Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.	TTWO	Software	$102.61	$135.04	32%	79%	-42%
EOG Resources Inc.	EOG	Oil and Gas Production	$124.06	$158.24	28%	82%	40%
Southwest Airlines Co.	LUV	Airlines	$38.94	$49.56	27%	76%	-9%
Source: FactSet

Most of the companies on the S&P 500 list expected to soar in 2023 have seen large declines in 2022. But the company at the top of the list, EQT Corp.
EQT,
is an exception. The stock has risen 69% in 2022 and is expected to add another 62% over the next 12 months. Analysts expect the company’s earnings per share to double during 2023 (in part from its expected acquisition of THQ), after nearly a four-fold EPS increase in 2022.

Shares of Amazon.com Inc.
AMZN
are expected to soar 50% over the next year, following a decline of 46% so far in 2022. If the shares were to rise 50% from here to the price target of $136.02, they would still be 18% below their closing price of 166.72 at the end of 2021.

Read: Here’s why Amazon is Citi’s top internet stock idea

You can see the earnings estimates and more for any stock in this article by clicking on its ticker.

Click here for Tomi Kilgore’s detailed guide to the wealth of information available for free on the MarketWatch quote page.

Mid-cap stocks expected to rise the most

The lists of favored stocks are limited to those covered by at least five analysts polled by FactSet.

Among components of the S&P 400 Mid Cap Index, there are 84 stocks with at least 75% “buy” ratings. Here at the 20 expected to rise the most over the next year:

Company	Ticker	Industry	Closing price – Dec. 12	Consensus price target	Implied 12-month upside potential	Share “buy” ratings	Price change – 2022 through Dec. 12
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Inc.	ARWR	Biotechnology	$31.85	$69.69	119%	83%	-52%
Lantheus Holdings Inc.	LNTH	Medical Specialties	$54.92	$102.00	86%	100%	90%
Progyny Inc.	PGNY	Misc. Commercial Services	$31.21	$55.57	78%	100%	-38%
Coherent Corp.	COHR	Electronic Equipment/ Instruments	$35.41	$60.56	71%	84%	-48%
Exelixis Inc.	EXEL	Biotechnology	$16.08	$26.07	62%	81%	-12%
Darling Ingredients Inc.	DAR	Food: Specialty/ Candy	$61.17	$97.36	59%	93%	-12%
Perrigo Co. PLC	PRGO	Pharmaceuticals	$31.83	$49.25	55%	100%	-18%
Mattel Inc.	MAT	Recreational Products	$17.39	$26.58	53%	87%	-19%
ACI Worldwide Inc.	ACIW	Software	$20.75	$31.40	51%	83%	-40%
Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp.	MODG	Recreational Products	$21.99	$32.91	50%	83%	-20%
Dycom Industries Inc.	DY	Engineering and Construction	$86.03	$128.13	49%	100%	-8%
Travel + Leisure Co.	TNL	Hotels/ Resorts/ Cruiselines	$37.98	$56.00	47%	75%	-31%
Frontier Communications Parent Inc.	FYBR	Telecommunications	$25.21	$36.18	44%	82%	-15%
Manhattan Associates Inc.	MANH	Software	$120.06	$171.80	43%	88%	-23%
MP Materials Corp Class A	MP	Other Metals/ Minerals	$31.39	$44.79	43%	92%	-31%
Lumentum Holdings Inc.	LITE	Electrical Products	$54.45	$76.44	40%	76%	-49%
Tenet Healthcare Corp.	THC	Hospital/ Nursing Management	$44.22	$62.00	40%	80%	-46%
Repligen Corp.	RGEN	Pharmaceuticals	$166.88	$233.10	40%	82%	-37%
STAAR Surgical Co.	STAA	Medical Specialties	$59.57	$82.67	39%	82%	-35%
Carlisle Cos. Inc.	CSL	Building Products	$251.99	$348.33	38%	75%	2%
Source: FactSet

Wall Street’s favorite small-cap names

Among companies in the S&P Small Cap 600 Index, 91 are rated “buy” or the equivalent by at least 75% of analysts. Here are the 20 with the highest 12-month upside potential indicated by consensus price targets:

Company	Ticker	Industry	Closing price – Dec. 12	Consensus price target	Implied 12-month upside potential	Share “buy” ratings	Price change – 2022 through Dec. 12
UniQure NV	QURE	Biotechnology	$22.99	$51.29	123%	95%	11%
Cara Therapeutics Inc.	CARA	Biotechnology	$11.34	$23.63	108%	88%	-7%
Vir Biotechnology Inc.	VIR	Biotechnology	$25.50	$53.00	108%	75%	-39%
Dynavax Technologies Corp.	DVAX	Biotechnology	$11.22	$23.20	107%	100%	-20%
Thryv Holdings Inc.	THRY	Advertising/ Marketing Services	$18.40	$36.75	100%	100%	-55%
Artivion Inc.	AORT	Medical Specialties	$12.93	$23.13	79%	83%	-36%
Cytokinetics Inc.	CYTK	Pharmaceuticals	$38.33	$67.43	76%	100%	-16%
Harsco Corp.	HSC	Environmental Services	$7.17	$12.30	72%	80%	-57%
Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc.	LGND	Pharmaceuticals	$64.80	$110.83	71%	100%	-35%
Corcept Therapeutics Inc.	CORT	Pharmaceuticals	$20.84	$34.20	64%	80%	5%
Payoneer Global Inc.	PAYO	Misc. Commercial Services	$5.70	$9.33	64%	100%	-22%
Xencor Inc.	XNCR	Biotechnology	$28.69	$46.71	63%	93%	-28%
Pacira Biosciences Inc.	PCRX	Pharmaceuticals	$45.50	$72.90	60%	80%	-24%
BioLife Solutions Inc.	BLFS	Chemicals	$19.72	$31.38	59%	89%	-47%
Customers Bancorp Inc.	CUBI	Regional Banks	$30.00	$47.63	59%	75%	-54%
ModivCare Inc.	MODV	Other Transportation	$92.22	$145.83	58%	100%	-38%
Stride Inc.	LRN	Consumer Services	$32.56	$51.25	57%	100%	-2%
Ranger Oil Corp. Class A	ROCC	Oil and Gas Production	$36.98	$58.00	57%	100%	37%
Outfront Media Inc.	OUT	Real Estate Investment Trusts	$17.59	$27.00	53%	83%	-34%
Walker & Dunlop Inc.	WD	Finance/ Rental/ Leasing	$82.22	$125.20	52%	100%	-46%
Source: FactSet

The Dow

Here are all 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average ranked by how much analysts expect their prices to rise over the next year:

Company	Ticker	Industry	Closing price – Dec. 12	Consensus price target	Implied 12-month upside potential	Share “buy” ratings	Price change – 2022 through Dec. 12
Salesforce Inc.	CRM	Software	$133.11	$195.59	47%	80%	-48%
Walt Disney Co.	DIS	Movies/ Entertainment	$94.66	$119.60	26%	82%	-39%
Apple Inc.	AAPL	Telecommunications Equipment	$144.49	$173.70	20%	74%	-19%
Verizon Communications Inc.	VZ	Telecommunications	$37.95	$44.60	18%	21%	-27%
Visa Inc. Class A	V	Misc.s Commercial Services	$214.59	$249.33	16%	86%	-1%
Microsoft Corp.	MSFT	Software	$252.51	$293.06	16%	91%	-25%
Chevron Corp.	CVX	Integrated Oil	$169.75	$191.20	13%	54%	45%
Cisco Systems Inc.	CSCO	Information Technology Services	$49.30	$53.76	9%	44%	-22%
UnitedHealth Group Inc.	UNH	Managed Health Care	$545.86	$593.30	9%	85%	9%
Goldman Sachs Group Inc.	GS	Investment Banks/ Brokers	$363.18	$392.63	8%	59%	-5%
Walmart Inc.	WMT	Specialty Stores	$148.02	$159.86	8%	72%	2%
JPMorgan Chase & Co.	JPM	Banks	$134.21	$143.84	7%	59%	-15%
Home Depot Inc.	HD	Home Improvement Chains	$327.98	$346.61	6%	61%	-21%
American Express Co.	AXP	Finance/ Rental/ Leasing	$157.31	$164.57	5%	43%	-4%
McDonald’s Corp.	MCD	Restaurants	$276.62	$288.67	4%	72%	3%
Johnson & Johnson	JNJ	Pharmaceuticals	$177.84	$185.35	4%	36%	4%
Coca-Cola Co.	KO	Beverages: Non-Alcoholic	$63.97	$66.62	4%	73%	8%
Boeing Co.	BA	Aerospace and Defense	$186.27	$192.69	3%	77%	-7%
Intel Corp.	INTC	Semiconductors	$28.69	$29.54	3%	13%	-44%
Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc.	WBA	Drugstore Chains	$41.06	$42.24	3%	17%	-21%
Merck & Co. Inc.	MRK	Pharmaceuticals	$108.97	$110.62	2%	65%	42%
Caterpillar Inc.	CAT	Trucks/ Construction/ Farm Machinery	$233.06	$236.23	1%	41%	13%
Honeywell International Inc.	HON	Aerospace and Defense	$214.50	$217.35	1%	54%	3%
Nike Inc. Class B	NKE	Apparel/ Footwear	$112.07	$112.58	0%	64%	-33%
3M Co.	MMM	Industrial Conglomerates	$126.85	$127.30	0%	5%	-29%
Procter & Gamble Co.	PG	Household/ Personal Care	$152.47	$150.22	-1%	59%	-7%
Travelers Companies Inc.	TRV	Multi-Line Insurance	$187.11	$184.24	-2%	18%	20%
Amgen Inc.	AMGN	Biotechnology	$276.78	$264.79	-4%	24%	23%
Dow Inc.	DOW	Chemicals	$51.11	$48.73	-5%	15%	-10%
International Business Machines Corp.	IBM	Information Technology Services	$149.21	$140.29	-6%	33%	12%
Source: FactSet

Don’t miss: 10 Dividend Aristocrat stocks expected by analysts to rise up to 54% in 2023

Source link

December 13, 2022

Drying California lake to get $250M in US drought funding

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The federal government said Monday it will spend $250 million over four years on environmental cleanup and restoration work around a drying Southern California lake that’s fed by the depleted Colorado River.

The future of the Salton Sea, and who is financially responsible for it, has been a key issue in discussions over how to stave off a crisis in the Colorado River. The lake was formed in 1905 when the river overflowed, creating a resort destination that slowly morphed into an environmental disaster as water levels receded, exposing residents to harmful dust and reducing wildlife habitat.

The lake is largely fed by runoff from farms in California’s Imperial Valley, who use Colorado River water to grow many of the nation’s winter vegetables as well as feed crops like alfalfa. As the farmers reduce their water use, less flows into the lake. California said it would only reduce its reliance on the over-tapped river if the federal government put up money to mitigate the effects of less water flowing into the sea.

“It’s kind of a linchpin for the action we need to see on the Colorado River,” said Wade Crowfoot, California’s natural resources secretary. “Finally we are all in agreement that we can’t leave the Salton Sea on the cutting room floor, we can’t take these conservation actions — these extraordinary measures — at the expense of these residents.”

The deal announced Monday needs approval from the Imperial Irrigation District, the largest user of Colorado River water. The water entity’s board will take it up on Tuesday.

Both the district’s general manager and board member JB Hamby applauded the deal Monday.

“The collaboration happening at the Salton Sea between water agencies and state, federal, and tribal governments is a blueprint for effective cooperation that the Colorado River Basin sorely needs,” Hamby said in a statement.

The $250 million will come out of the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act, which set aside $4 billion to stave off the worst effects of drought across the U.S. West.

Most of the money is contingent on the Imperial Irrigation District and Coachella Valley Water District making good on their commitments to reduce their own use of river water. Both submitted proposals to cut back their usage for payment as part of a new federal program.

The quarter-billion dollars will largely go to bolster and speed up existing state projects designed to lower the negative environmental impact of the drying lake bed. The state has committed nearly $583 million to projects at the sea, including dust suppression and habitat restoration. One project underway aims to create wetlands and ponds that will limit dust from blowing into the air while creating safe spaces for fish and birds, according to the state.

The deal comes as the U.S. Interior Department and the seven states that rely on the river — California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming — scramble to stave off the worst impacts of the ongoing drought and historic overuse of the river. Lakes Powell and Mead, the key reservoirs that store river water and provide hydropower across the West, are only about a quarter full.

After months of failed negotiations over a deal to drastically cut water use, the federal government in October said it would pay farmers and cities to cut back through activities like leaving fields unplanted or lining canals to prevent water from seeping into the ground. Proposals were due earlier this month. Meanwhile, the Interior Department has taken steps to unilaterally revise guidelines that govern when water shortages are declared, a move that could force states to further cut back.

The Salton Sea, meanwhile, became its own political flashpoint in October when Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, then up for reelection, urged the federal government to withhold any environmental cleanup money unless California agreed to give up more water. That prompted criticism he was using communities who already suffer from poor air quality as a bargaining chip.

The agreement marks a good step forward but key details still need to be fleshed out, said Frank Ruiz, Salton Sea program director for Audubon California. He worries that $250 million is not enough to mitigate all of the damage already done at the sea.

“This is a great step but I think we need a lot more,” he said. “We need to continue discussing water sustainability in the region.”

Broadly, he wants to see a more equitable distribution of the region’s water supplies and hopes the Salton Sea gets a guaranteed minimum amount of water even as overall use declines.

Source link

November 28, 2022

Drying California lake to get $250M in drought funding