Zacks Research Has Bullish Outlook for CWT FY2026 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research has raised its FY2026 earnings per share estimate for California Water Service Group to $2.56, up from $2.53.
• The company reported quarterly earnings of $0.71 per share, significantly exceeding analysts' expectations of $0.46.
• California Water Service Group recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, with an annualized yield of 2.6%.

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT - Free Report) - Research analysts at Zacks Research raised their FY2026 EPS estimates for shares of California Water Service Group in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, August 20th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $2.56 for the year, up from their prior forecast of $2.53. 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 FY2027 earnings at $2.75 EPS.

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.71 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $238.20 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.70 earnings per share. California Water Service Group's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on CWT. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of California Water Service Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of California Water Service Group from $59.00 to $55.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have issued a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $56.00.

California Water Service Group Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of California Water Service Group stock opened at $46.7850 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.66. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $46.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $46.88. California Water Service Group has a 52-week low of $41.64 and a 52-week high of $56.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 0.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On California Water Service Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in California Water Service Group by 109.9% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 697 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 365 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 601 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new stake in California Water Service Group during the first quarter worth about $34,000. Whittier Trust Co. bought a new position in California Water Service Group during the second quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in California Water Service Group by 130.1% during the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,397 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 790 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.78% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at California Water Service Group

In other California Water Service Group 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 value of $55,812.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 26,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,225,491.99. The trade was a 4.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.77% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

California Water Service Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 presently 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.

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