Equities Analysts Offer Predictions for CWT FY2026 Earnings

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT - Free Report) - Seaport Res Ptn issued their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for California Water Service Group in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, January 6th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst A. Storozynski expects that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $2.56 for the year. The consensus estimate for California Water Service Group's current full-year earnings is $3.29 per share.

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.05 by ($0.02). California Water Service Group had a net margin of 19.56% and a return on equity of 13.24%. The business had revenue of $299.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $289.55 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on CWT. StockNews.com lowered California Water Service Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Bank of America assumed coverage on California Water Service Group in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $57.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of California Water Service Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $56.00 to $52.00 in a report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $53.25.

California Water Service Group Price Performance

Shares of CWT traded down $1.10 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $43.26. 476,883 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 331,697. The stock has a market cap of $2.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.50 and a beta of 0.52. California Water Service Group has a 1-year low of $42.31 and a 1-year high of $56.25. The company has a 50 day moving average of $48.70 and a 200-day moving average of $51.27. 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 Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were issued a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. California Water Service Group's payout ratio is currently 32.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Michael B. Luu sold 985 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.50, for a total value of $50,727.50. Following the completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.73% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On California Water Service Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in California Water Service Group by 55.7% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 161,661 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $8,765,000 after acquiring an additional 57,811 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of California Water Service Group by 117.0% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 58,258 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,100,000 after purchasing an additional 31,412 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in California Water Service Group by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,337,966 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $72,559,000 after buying an additional 24,275 shares during the period. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. increased its stake in California Water Service Group by 52.2% during the 3rd quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 63,554 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,446,000 after buying an additional 21,791 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in California Water Service Group by 135.8% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 119,645 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $6,486,000 after buying an additional 68,914 shares in the last quarter. 82.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.