Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Sells 10,715 Shares of California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lessened its holdings in California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT - Free Report) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,263,790 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 10,715 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 2.13% of California Water Service Group worth $57,289,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in California Water Service Group by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,689,977 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $76,607,000 after buying an additional 79,658 shares during the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC bought a new position in California Water Service Group in the 4th quarter worth $124,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its holdings in California Water Service Group by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 129,765 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,876,000 after purchasing an additional 1,731 shares during the period. Mariner LLC lifted its position in California Water Service Group by 36.1% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 31,276 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,418,000 after purchasing an additional 8,299 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its holdings in California Water Service Group by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 132,405 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $6,001,000 after purchasing an additional 12,760 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.78% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on CWT. Seaport Res Ptn raised California Water Service Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of California Water Service Group from $54.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of California Water Service Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th.

California Water Service Group Price Performance

NYSE CWT traded up $0.25 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $49.02. The company's stock had a trading volume of 330,356 shares, compared to its average volume of 334,070. California Water Service Group has a 1 year low of $41.64 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. The company has a market capitalization of $2.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.17, a PEG ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 0.56. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $48.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $47.76.

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.16 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $203.97 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $194.80 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 for the quarter was down 24.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.21 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that California Water Service Group will post 3.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

California Water Service Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.45%. 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.