Zacks Research Issues Negative Outlook for CWT Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research lowered its Q3 2026 EPS estimate for California Water Service Group to $1.22 from $1.33. It projects full-year 2026 EPS of $2.61 and full-year 2027 EPS of $2.72.
• Analysts maintain a generally neutral view, with CWT carrying a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $54.00, compared with shares opening at $49.87.
• California Water Service recently exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.93 EPS on $308.6 million in revenue, while announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.335 per share, equivalent to a 2.7% yield.

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of California Water Service Group in a research note issued on Wednesday, August 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $1.22 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $1.33. The consensus estimate for California Water Service Group's current full-year earnings is $2.55 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for California Water Service Group's Q4 2026 earnings at $0.39 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $2.61 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.26 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.83 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.31 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.32 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.72 EPS and Q1 2028 earnings at $0.31 EPS.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $54.00 target price on shares of California Water Service Group in a report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of California Water Service Group from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Wall Street Zen raised California Water Service Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 18th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $53.00 target price on shares of California Water Service Group in a research report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, California Water Service Group presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $54.00.

California Water Service Group Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of California Water Service Group stock opened at $49.87 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $3.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.46, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.70. California Water Service Group has a one year low of $41.29 and a one year high of $53.82. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $48.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $46.26.

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.13. California Water Service Group had a return on equity of 7.74% and a net margin of 12.63%.The business had revenue of $308.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $283.50 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.71 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 16.5% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On California Water Service Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CWT. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in California Water Service Group during the second quarter valued at $523,255,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of California Water Service Group by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,346,457 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $318,322,000 after buying an additional 34,155 shares during the last quarter. Amundi grew its position in shares of California Water Service Group by 26.7% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 3,470,997 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $157,421,000 after buying an additional 732,004 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in California Water Service Group by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,337,205 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $144,602,000 after acquiring an additional 36,296 shares during the period. Finally, Nuance Investments LLC raised its position in shares of California Water Service Group by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Nuance Investments LLC now owns 1,825,390 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $79,094,000 after purchasing an additional 60,931 shares during the period. 82.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at California Water Service Group

In related news, Director Lester A. Snow sold 1,100 shares of California Water Service Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.00, for a total value of $48,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 18,316 shares in the company, valued at approximately $805,904. The trade was a 5.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Thomas M. Krummel sold 3,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.30, for a total transaction of $160,210.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 23,805 shares in the company, valued at $1,030,756.50. This trade represents a 13.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.78% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

California Water Service Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.335 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.34 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. California Water Service Group's payout ratio is presently 60.36%.

About California Water Service Group

California Water Service Group NYSE: CWT is a publicly traded holding company that provides regulated water utility services through its subsidiaries. The company delivers safe, reliable drinking water and wastewater management to residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers across California, Hawaii and New Mexico. Its principal operating units include California Water Service, New Mexico Water Service and Hawaii Water Service, each responsible for end‐to‐end water supply operations—from source development and treatment to distribution and customer service.

Founded in 1926 as the California Water Service Company, the group has grown to become one of the largest investor‐owned water utilities in the United States by customer count.

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