Zacks Research Has Bullish Estimate for CWT Q3 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research has revised its Q3 2026 earnings per share estimate for California Water Service Group to $1.25, slightly up from $1.23, with a full-year estimate set at $3.15.
• The company's recent earnings report exceeded expectations, with a reported $0.71 EPS against a consensus estimate of $0.46, and revenue of $264.95 million.
• California Water Service Group declared a quarterly dividend of $0.30, providing an annualized yield of 2.5% and a payout ratio of 52.40%.

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of California Water Service Group in a report released on Wednesday, August 20th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $1.25 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $1.23. The consensus estimate for California Water Service Group's current full-year earnings is $3.15 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for California Water Service Group's Q4 2026 earnings at $0.51 EPS and Q1 2027 earnings at $0.27 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of California Water Service Group from $59.00 to $55.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of California Water Service Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have assigned a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $56.00.

California Water Service Group Trading Up 1.7%

CWT stock opened at $47.5690 on Monday. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $46.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.93. 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 has a 52-week low of $41.64 and a 52-week high of $56.25. The firm has a market cap of $2.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.77, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.66.

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $264.95 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $238.20 million. California Water Service Group had a return on equity of 8.28% and a net margin of 13.71%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.70 EPS.

California Water Service Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 11th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. California Water Service Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 52.40%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Lester A. Snow sold 1,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.51, for a total value of $55,812.00. Following the transaction, the director directly 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 filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.73% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CWT. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in California Water Service Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,085,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in California Water Service Group by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 35,292 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,600,000 after purchasing an additional 2,315 shares in the last quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury lifted its stake in California Water Service Group by 21.1% in the 4th quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 25,606 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,161,000 after purchasing an additional 4,457 shares in the last quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new position in California Water Service Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,423,000. Finally, Tudor Investment Corp ET AL purchased a new position in California Water Service Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,344,000. 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.

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