Companhia De Saneamento Basico Stock Price, News & Analysis

Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo – Sabesp (traded in the U.S. as SBS) is a Brazilian utilities company that operates in the water supply and irrigation systems industry. According to its public disclosures, Sabesp is engaged in basic and environmental sanitation services in the State of São Paulo and supplies treated water and sewage services on a wholesale basis. The company reports that it operates in a single segment, described as sanitation services.

Sabesp is a publicly held company organized in the Federative Republic of Brazil and files annual reports on Form 20‑F and current reports on Form 6‑K with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under Commission File No. 1‑31317. Its registered name in English is Basic Sanitation Company of the State of São Paulo – SABESP. The company’s disclosures emphasize its role in providing public water supply and sewage services under concession arrangements in the State of São Paulo.

Core activities and business profile

Based on the company’s own descriptions in regulatory filings and news releases, Sabesp’s core business is the provision of basic and environmental sanitation services, which include supplying treated water and sewage services. These services are provided both at the retail level to end users and on a wholesale basis. The company’s operations are subject to sector‑specific regulation in Brazil, including oversight by the São Paulo State Public Services Regulatory Agency (ARSESP) and by the Brazilian Securities Commission (CVM) in its capacity as a publicly held issuer.

Sabesp has described itself in multiple investor communications as one of the largest water and sewage services providers in the world based on the number of customers. Its activities are focused on the State of São Paulo, where it operates under concession and program agreements and interacts with regionalized basic sanitation units defined under state law.

Regulatory and concession framework

The company’s operations are closely linked to the Brazilian sanitation regulatory framework, including Federal Law 11,445/2007 as amended by Federal Law 14,026/2020, and related decrees. In a material fact released in March 2022, Sabesp reported that ARSESP’s Executive Board recognized the company’s economic and financial capacity to achieve goals of full coverage of public water supply and sewage service by 2033, within the regionalized provision structure established by State Law 17,383/2021 for the Regional Unit for Drinking Water Supply and Sewage Services URAE 1 – Southeast. This recognition followed a process that evaluated economic and financial indicators, feasibility studies and a funding plan.

Sabesp’s tariffs for water and sewage services are defined and periodically adjusted by ARSESP. In a material fact from March 2022, the company disclosed that ARSESP Resolution No. 1,278 approved a tariff readjustment on Sabesp’s tariffs, with the resolution specifying components such as inflation measured by the IPCA index, an efficiency factor (Factor X), compensatory adjustments and quality indicators. The company also reported that the tariff structure itself remained unchanged at that time, with implementation of any new structure postponed until a later date.

More recently, in a 6‑K dated December 2025, Sabesp informed investors that ARSESP Resolution No. 1,748/2025 authorized the company to apply an average adjustment of 6.5% to current rates charged to users, effective as of January 1, 2026. The same filing stated that this amount represents an increase of 10.6% in the equilibrium rate, and that accompanying technical materials were made available by the regulator. A subsequent 6‑K provided a detailed breakdown of the equilibrium rate adjustment, including factors such as lag in regulatory asset base recognition, operating expenses, non‑manageable expenses, compensatory adjustments and tax effects.

Financial profile and capital structure

Sabesp regularly reports its financial performance through earnings releases furnished on Form 6‑K and through quarterly information (ITR) filed with the CVM and furnished to the SEC. In these documents, the company presents metrics such as net operating revenue (including construction revenue), costs and expenses (including construction costs), adjusted EBITDA, net income, and earnings per share in Brazilian reais. For example, in earnings releases for 2021, the company reported net operating revenue that includes construction revenue, adjusted EBITDA and net income figures, all expressed in reais.

The company’s financial statements show a capital structure that includes borrowings and financings, public‑private partnership (PPP) obligations, provisions, and profit reserves. In its ITR for the period ended September 30, 2025, Sabesp disclosed total assets, current and non‑current liabilities, and equity, including paid‑up capital, profit reserves, retained earnings and equity valuation adjustments. The same filing shows that Sabesp had hundreds of millions of common shares outstanding and no treasury shares at that date.

Sabesp also uses debenture issuances in the Brazilian capital market as a funding source. In several material facts furnished on Form 6‑K, the company announced the approval by its Board of Directors of the 28th, 29th and 30th issuances of simple, unsecured and non‑convertible debentures. These issuances were structured either under CVM Rule 476 (restricted efforts offerings to professional investors) or under CVM Instruction 400 (public offerings), with proceeds intended, among other purposes, for refinancing financial commitments maturing in specific years, replenishing and reinforcing cash position, and financing investment projects in water supply and sewage systems in municipalities of the State of São Paulo.

In a 6‑K dated December 19, 2025, the company reported that its Board of Directors approved the payment of interest on equity to shareholders and a capital stock increase within the limit of authorized capital. The capital increase was to be implemented through capitalization of part of the balance of profit reserves and the issuance of new registered, book‑entry common shares with no par value, to be distributed to shareholders in proportion to their existing holdings as of a specified date.

Investment and expansion plans

Sabesp’s disclosures highlight ongoing capital expenditure plans aimed at water supply, sewage collection and sewage treatment infrastructure. In a material fact dated December 30, 2021, the company’s Board of Directors approved a Capex Plan for 2022–2026 with planned investments allocated among water supply, sewage collection and sewage treatment, expressed in millions of reais at constant December 2021 prices. The plan detailed annual investment amounts for each category over the five‑year period.

More recent earnings releases for 2025 show that Sabesp has been investing significant amounts in infrastructure and expansion projects. In its 2Q25 and 3Q25 earnings materials, the company reported investments in the billions of reais over quarterly and year‑to‑date periods, with a focus on projects directly aimed at meeting universalization targets for potable water and sewage services. The company also disclosed the addition of large numbers of new active water and sewage connections compared to prior periods, as well as billed volume growth and changes in customer mix.

In October 2025, Sabesp announced that it had entered into share purchase agreements to acquire a controlling interest in EMAE – Empresa Metropolitana de Águas e Energia S.A., subject to regulatory and antitrust approvals and other conditions. The company stated that, upon completion, it would hold shares representing 70.1% of EMAE’s total share capital at an aggregate acquisition cost expressed in reais. Sabesp described this transaction as a strategic milestone bringing benefits in two fronts: integration of water systems in the São Paulo Metropolitan Region to enhance water supply security and access to a portfolio of power generation assets with long‑term, inflation‑indexed revenue contracts.

In August 2025, Sabesp also disclosed a turnkey smart metering service contract with Telefônica Brasil S.A. and Telefônica Cloud and Technology of Brazil S.A. for investment in equipment, infrastructure, and automation and connectivity solutions. The company stated that the contract involves an approximate amount of billions of reais and that the transaction implements an NB‑IoT (Narrow Band – Internet of Things) project and smart water metering on a scale greater than similar initiatives known worldwide in the sanitation sector, reinforcing its strategic plan in sanitation in the State of São Paulo.

Regulation, tariffs and universalization targets

Sabesp’s earnings and regulatory filings describe how its revenue is influenced by tariff decisions, billed volume, customer mix and regulatory mechanisms. The company provides detailed breakdowns of billed volume by category (residential, commercial, industrial, wholesale and other categories), average tariffs in reais per cubic meter, and the evolution of connections and consumption. Adjusted net sanitation revenue figures consider items such as FAUSP (a mechanism affecting rates), taxes and financial asset components related to concession arrangements.

The company’s disclosures also reference universalization targets for potable water and sewage services. In its 3Q25 earnings release, Sabesp noted that it had invested billions of reais in the quarter and year‑to‑date, focusing on infrastructure improvements and expansion projects aimed at meeting universalization targets. It also reported the number of new units receiving potable water and sewage treatment and the percentage of annual goals achieved for these metrics.

Corporate events and privatization context

Sabesp has reported on corporate and regulatory developments affecting its share capital and concession framework. In a material fact from September 2021, the company disclosed that the State Privatization Program’s Board (CDPED) recommended the hiring of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to provide consulting services to the State of São Paulo, including identification and analysis of possible alternatives for restructuring Sabesp’s share capital, in the context of the New Sanitation Regulatory Framework and state law defining regional basic sanitation units.

In its 3Q25 earnings release, the company referred to the completion of a privatization process and the signing of an agreement with URAE‑1 on July 23, 2024. It explained that, in 3Q24, it recorded a bifurcation of a financial asset related to the concession, previously classified solely as intangible assets. The financial asset corresponds to reversible investments not fully amortized by the end of the agreement, which will be compensated according to the URAE‑1 contract. The company quantified the impact of this bifurcation on gross revenue, net income and earnings per share in 3Q24 and 3Q25, and referred readers to notes in its quarterly information for further details.

Trading and reporting

Sabesp’s shares trade in Brazil under the symbol SBSP3 and its American Depositary Shares (ADSs) trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SBS, as indicated in multiple news releases. The company identifies itself as a publicly held company in Brazil, subject to CVM regulations, and as a foreign private issuer in the United States, filing Form 20‑F and Form 6‑K reports. Its filings list its principal executive offices in São Paulo, São Paulo State, Brazil.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

• What does Sabesp do?
  According to its public description, Sabesp is engaged in the provision of basic and environmental sanitation services in the State of São Paulo and supplies treated water and sewage services on a wholesale basis. It operates in a single segment described as sanitation services.
• Where does Sabesp operate?
  Sabesp states that it operates in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, providing public water supply and sewage services under concession and program agreements, including within regionalized basic sanitation units established by state law.
• How is Sabesp regulated?
  The company’s operations are regulated by the São Paulo State Public Services Regulatory Agency (ARSESP) for tariffs and service conditions and by the Brazilian Securities Commission (CVM) as a publicly held issuer. It also files reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as a foreign private issuer.
• How does Sabesp describe its size in the sector?
  In several earnings releases, Sabesp describes itself as one of the largest water and sewage services providers in the world based on the number of customers.
• What is Sabesp’s main business segment?
  The company reports that it operates in a single business segment, which it identifies as sanitation services, encompassing water supply and sewage services.
• How are Sabesp’s tariffs determined?
  Tariffs applied by Sabesp are approved by ARSESP through resolutions that may include components such as inflation indices, efficiency factors, compensatory adjustments and quality indicators. The company discloses these resolutions and their effects on average rate adjustments in material facts.
• What are Sabesp’s investment priorities?
  Sabesp’s capex plans and earnings releases show investments allocated to water supply, sewage collection and sewage treatment projects, as well as infrastructure expansion to meet universalization targets for potable water and sewage services.
• How does Sabesp finance its operations and investments?
  In addition to operating cash flow, Sabesp uses borrowings, financings and debenture issuances in the Brazilian capital market. Material facts describe specific debenture issuances and their intended uses, such as refinancing financial commitments and funding investment projects.
• What is the significance of the financial asset bifurcation mentioned by Sabesp?
  In connection with an agreement with URAE‑1 following a privatization process, Sabesp recorded a financial asset related to reversible investments under its concession, previously classified solely as intangible assets. The company states that this financial asset will be compensated according to the concession contract and has disclosed its impact on revenue and earnings.
• On which exchange does SBS trade?
  Sabesp’s American Depositary Shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SBS, as indicated in its news releases and SEC filings.