Barclays PLC Buys 12,760 Shares of California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT)

Barclays PLC boosted its position in California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT - Free Report) by 10.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 132,405 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 12,760 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned about 0.22% of California Water Service Group worth $6,001,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of California Water Service Group during the 4th quarter worth $37,998,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in California Water Service Group by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,514,709 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $340,642,000 after purchasing an additional 158,295 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in California Water Service Group by 91.0% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 308,704 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $13,994,000 after purchasing an additional 147,043 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of California Water Service Group by 21.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 634,179 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $28,747,000 after purchasing an additional 110,962 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of California Water Service Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,704,000. 82.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CWT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of California Water Service Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded California Water Service Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $56.00 to $52.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised California Water Service Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th.

California Water Service Group Price Performance

NYSE CWT traded down $0.37 on Thursday, hitting $50.28. The stock had a trading volume of 98,271 shares, compared to its average volume of 331,002. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $48.05 and a 200-day moving average of $47.90. The company has a market capitalization of $2.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 0.56. 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 has a 52-week low of $41.64 and a 52-week high of $56.25.

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.17 by $0.05. California Water Service Group had a return on equity of 13.24% and a net margin of 19.56%. Equities analysts expect that California Water Service Group will post 3.15 EPS for the current year.

California Water Service Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.39%. California Water Service Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.70%.

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.