California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT) Shares Sold by Holocene Advisors LP

Holocene Advisors LP reduced its position in California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT - Free Report) by 72.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,732 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 24,990 shares during the quarter. Holocene Advisors LP's holdings in California Water Service Group were worth $528,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of CWT. Wulff Hansen & CO. increased its holdings in California Water Service Group by 4,565.4% during the second quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. now owns 1,053,688 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $51,093,000 after buying an additional 1,031,103 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in shares of California Water Service Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $6,823,000. Arjuna Capital bought a new position in shares of California Water Service Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $3,724,000. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in shares of California Water Service Group by 354.9% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 76,851 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,727,000 after acquiring an additional 59,956 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC bought a new stake in California Water Service Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,761,000. 82.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

California Water Service Group Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of California Water Service Group stock traded down $0.41 on Friday, reaching $48.70. The stock had a trading volume of 249,211 shares, compared to its average volume of 295,152. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $51.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $51.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.08 and a beta of 0.50. California Water Service Group has a 1 year low of $43.50 and a 1 year high of $56.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64.

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.05 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $299.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $289.55 million. California Water Service Group had a net margin of 19.56% and a return on equity of 13.24%. California Water Service Group's revenue was up 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that California Water Service Group will post 3.29 EPS for the current year.

California Water Service Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th were given a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. California Water Service Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.37%.

Insider Transactions at California Water Service Group

In related news, VP Michael B. Luu sold 985 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.50, for a total transaction of $50,727.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 20,354 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,048,231. This represents a 4.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.73% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of California Water Service Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, California Water Service Group currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $53.67.

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.