Framework Journal · one stock, one dated entry

Recorded 2026-05-13 · Permanent

Global Water Resources, Inc. GWRS

Outside both standards

An entry written while the outcome is still unknown. It will be scored by what the market does next, and it will never be edited to look cleverer than it was.

In plain words · Global Water Resources, Inc., a water resource management company, owns, operates, and manages regulated water, wastewater, and recycled water systems in metropolitan Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona.

The label
Markup

read at $7.24

Global Water Resources, Inc. holds its Markup at $7.24.

PHINPOOPSC
  • PHPhase · the trend structure carries the Markup label
  • INInsiders · no filings inside 60 days, left as found
  • POPositioning · no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
  • OPOptions · no verdict drawn today, left as found
  • SCScreen · does not pass the values gate
  • edge confirmed
  • edge broken
  • edge forming

Each arm is one independent read. Conviction is not a single call, it is how many edges converge.

The investor read · the season, not the day

As held on the ledger · 2026-05-13
PhaseMarkup
Quantitative stateConsolidating, no directional conviction, held for 3 days
Price$7.24
Valuation60.55 trailing · 55.50 forward price to earnings
Values screenFAIL · score 10.0
Beta0.92

The opportunity · what the numbers say it is worth

Our framework reads AVOID — it trades above our $5.76 fair value estimate, weak competitive moat, 2.20% revenue growth.

Read at
$7.24
60.55 P/E · 55.50 fwd
Our fair value
$5.76
20% premium
Analyst target (avg)
$9.80
+35% to current
Target low $7.10Analyst target rangeTarget high $12.50
▲ current $7.24 · | average target

Price history & projections · where it has been, where the models see it going

$15.5$10.3$5.0TODAY5y agoPROJECTIONAnalyst high$12.50 +76%Analyst avg$9.80 +38%Conservative$5.76 -19%Our fair value$5.76 -19%

The valuation journey · where the price sits against fair value and the Street

Current
$7.24
you are here
Conservative
$5.76
-20%
Analyst avg
$9.80
+35%
Our fair value
$5.76
-20%
Analyst high
$12.50
+73%

Green marks levels above today's price, red below; the shaded band is the gap between the price and our fair value.

Reading the gap · Our more conservative model reads it as fully-to-richly valued here, while the Street is more bullish — a quality-at-a-fair-price name rather than a deep-value one.

Revenue growth2.20%
Profit margin5.30%
Debt to equity1.60
Analyst consensusBuy · 2 covering

Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; target range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.

The values screen, explained · five checks, plain English

This company is excluded by both standards. There are two widely recognised ways to check whether a company is suitable for a Muslim investor. It fails on both:

The common standard · AAOIFI
Used by most halal investing apps
✗ DOES NOT PASS
Our stricter standard · asset-based
The one Titan applies
✗ DOES NOT PASS

Why it fails. The problem is its debt ratio. Because both standards agree on this, it is a clear exclusion, not a borderline case.

What these two standards are, and how they differ →

  • Business activity Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines — no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending. Pass
  • Debt load Interest-bearing debt is 72.2% of its assets, above the one-third ceiling the screen allows. Fail
  • Interest-bearing cash Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 2.1% of assets, under the one-third limit. Pass
  • Receivables Money owed to the company is 0.0% of assets, under the 49% limit. Pass
  • Revenue purity Only 0.0% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources — under the 5% line. Pass

Every security is read against two recognised standards: our stricter asset-based screen (ratios measured against total assets) and the more widely used market-value standard (measured against market capitalisation). Where they agree we say so plainly; where they part ways — almost always on the debt check — we show both readings and mark it, because that disagreement is the finding, not a fault. We report the score; you and your scholar make the call.

The business, in plain words · what the numbers mean

Why it gives us pause

At 55.5x forward earnings, the price already runs ahead of the business. It trades 20% above our $5.76 fair value, so you would be buying at a premium, not a discount. The weak moat is real, but quality alone does not make an expensive price cheap.

The fundamentals · plain-English read
Forward P/E55.5x
expensive even after accounting for its growth
Trailing P/E60.5x
expensive — the price assumes strong growth ahead
Revenue growth2.2%
slow but positive growth
Profit margin5.3%
thin but positive margins
Return on equity4.4%
a modest return on shareholder capital
Debt to equity1.60
a meaningful debt load worth watching
Current ratio0.68
below 1 — short-term bills exceed liquid assets
Beta0.92
steadier than the market
Market cap$192M
Employees126

The risks · The things to watch: it's a small-cap, so the share price can swing harder than the market; it carries a real debt load, which raises the stakes if revenue slips.

Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.

Where & how to trade · wherever in the world you are

GWRS trades on Nasdaq. As a US-listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering US markets. New to this, or investing from outside the US? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.

The trader read · the latest dated commentary

The framework has shifted from distribution to markup since the last review. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are down 32%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 12%. The street (2 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $10. Entered 2026-07-31 · Markup

The dated journal · newest first, never edited

2026-07-31 Markup · changed $7.24 +0.0% Entry 4

The framework has shifted from distribution to markup since the last review. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are down 32%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 12%. The street (2 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $10.

2026-07-18 Distribution $7.24 +0.0% Entry 3

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are down 32%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 12%. The street (2 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $10.

2026-07-03 Distribution $7.24 +0.0% Entry 2

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns.

2026-07-02 Distribution $7.24 Entry 1

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns.

Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.

The insider ledger · Form 4 filings, as filed

Most recent filings · GWRS
DateInsiderTitleTypeSharesValue
2026-05-20 KRYGIER CHRISTOPHER D Chief Operating Officer 5,389 $37,000
2026-05-19 LENDERKING JOHN CARROLL Officer 700 $4,792
2026-05-08 LIEBMAN MICHAEL J Chief Financial Officer 8,333 $58,914
2026-05-08 FLEMING RONNIE L Chief Executive Officer 10,000 $70,700
2026-05-08 CORWIN JONATHAN C Officer 2,000 $14,140
2026-05-08 LENDERKING JOHN CARROLL Officer 2,000 $14,140
2026-05-08 KRYGIER CHRISTOPHER D Chief Operating Officer 6,667 $47,136
2026-05-08 BRILL STEVEN D Officer 2,000 $14,140
2026-03-31 LIEBMAN MICHAEL J Chief Financial Officer 2,846 ·
2026-03-31 FLEMING RONNIE L Chief Executive Officer 4,446 ·

Public filings, recorded as found. The full tape lives at Insider Intelligence.

What holding actually paid · price plus dividends

If $1,000 had been placed · historical, not a promise
PeriodPrice thenPrice returnDivs per share$1,000 becameTotal return
1 month $6.93 +2.4% $0.03 $1,027 +2.7%
2 months $7.77 -8.6% $0.05 $921 -7.9%
3 months $7.09 +0.2% $0.08 $1,012 +1.2%
6 months $8.51 -16.6% $0.15 $852 -14.8%
1 year $10.45 -32.0% $0.30 $708 -29.2%
2 years $11.57 -38.6% $0.60 $665 -33.5%
3 years $11.10 -36.1% $0.90 $721 -27.9%
5 years $14.81 -52.1% $1.49 $580 -42.0%

Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever GWRS does next, these words stay.

Global Water Resources, Inc. · GWRS · Markup · $7.24
Recorded 2026-05-13 · before the outcome · scored mechanically

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