What is Zacks Research's Forecast 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) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research lifted their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of California Water Service Group in a report issued on Wednesday, August 20th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the utilities provider will earn $2.56 per share 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 data on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $264.95 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $238.20 million. California Water Service Group had a return on equity of 8.28% and a net margin of 13.71%.California Water Service Group's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.70 earnings per share.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded California Water Service Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have assigned a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $56.00.

California Water Service Group Price Performance

California Water Service Group stock traded up $0.52 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $47.28. 55,651 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 364,752. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The business has a fifty day moving average of $46.07 and a 200 day moving average of $46.95. California Water Service Group has a 1-year low of $41.64 and a 1-year high of $56.25. The company has a market capitalization of $2.82 billion, a PE ratio of 20.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.66.

California Water Service Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other California Water Service Group news, Director Lester A. Snow sold 1,200 shares of the 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 owned 26,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,225,491.99. This represents a 4.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.73% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of California Water Service Group

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CWT. Creative Planning raised its position in shares of California Water Service Group by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 15,302 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $696,000 after buying an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in California Water Service Group by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,806 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $524,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its holdings in California Water Service Group by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 54,416 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,475,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. Choreo LLC grew its holdings in California Water Service Group by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 4,766 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $231,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 last quarter. 82.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

California Water Service Group Company Profile

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.