First National Corp MA ADV Purchases New Stake in California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT)

First National Corp MA ADV bought a new stake in shares of California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 22,197 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,006,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of California Water Service Group by 255.6% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 505 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 363 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of California Water Service Group by 50.2% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,236 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 413 shares during the period. nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of California Water Service Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $119,000. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of California Water Service Group by 129.1% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,090 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $168,000 after purchasing an additional 1,741 shares during the period. Finally, Old Port Advisors purchased a new position in California Water Service Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $202,000. Institutional investors own 82.78% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on CWT shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded California Water Service Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $56.00 to $52.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com raised California Water Service Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on California Water Service Group in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $57.00 target price for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, California Water Service Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $53.25.

California Water Service Group Stock Up 0.8 %

NYSE:CWT traded up $0.36 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $45.62. 221,337 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 370,432. The company has a fifty day moving average of $45.22 and a 200 day moving average of $50.19. California Water Service Group has a twelve month low of $41.64 and a twelve month high of $56.25. The company has a market capitalization of $2.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.18, a P/E/G ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.64.

California Water Service Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This is a positive change from California Water Service Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. California Water Service Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling at California Water Service Group

In other news, VP Michael B. Luu sold 985 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.50, for a total value of $50,727.50. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 20,354 shares in the company, valued at $1,048,231. This represents a 4.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.73% of the company's stock.

About California Water Service Group

California Water Service Group, through its subsidiaries, provides water utility and other related services in California, Washington, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Texas. The company is involved in the production, purchase, storage, treatment, testing, distribution, and sale of water for domestic, industrial, public, and irrigation uses, as well as for fire protection services.