Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Takes Position in California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 8,451 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $410,000.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in California Water Service Group by 751.3% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 681 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 601 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in California Water Service Group by 785.8% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,435 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 1,273 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. bought a new stake in California Water Service Group in the first quarter worth $74,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in California Water Service Group during the fourth quarter worth $78,000. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. raised its holdings in California Water Service Group by 27.6% during the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 1,969 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $89,000 after buying an additional 426 shares in the last quarter. 82.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Lester A. Snow sold 1,200 shares of California Water Service Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.51, for a total transaction of $55,812.00. Following the sale, the director owned 26,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,225,491.99. This trade represents a 4.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.73% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on CWT. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on California Water Service Group from $59.00 to $55.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of California Water Service Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of California Water Service Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday.

California Water Service Group Stock Performance

NYSE CWT traded up $0.49 during trading on Monday, hitting $46.99. The company's stock had a trading volume of 314,564 shares, compared to its average volume of 356,544. California Water Service Group has a 52 week low of $41.64 and a 52 week high of $56.25. The firm has a market cap of $2.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $45.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.25. California Water Service Group had a net margin of 13.71% and a return on equity of 8.28%. The business had revenue of $264.95 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $238.20 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.70 earnings per share. California Water Service Group's revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that California Water Service Group will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

California Water Service Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 11th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. California Water Service Group's dividend payout ratio is 52.40%.

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.