Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Outlook for CWT Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised its Q1 2026 EPS estimate for California Water Service Group to $0.26 (from $0.23) and lists a consensus full-year EPS of $3.15, with additional projections through FY2028.
• California Water Service beat expectations in its last quarter with EPS of $0.61 vs. $0.36 expected and revenue of $265.6M vs. $239.1M, and it raised the quarterly dividend to $0.335 (annualized $1.34, ~2.9% yield).
• Shares trade around $45.50 with a market cap of $2.71B and a P/E of ~21, and analysts give a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with a $55 target while institutional investors own about 82.8% of the stock.

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for California Water Service Group in a report released on Friday, March 6th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $0.26 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.23. 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 Q2 2026 earnings at $0.78 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.31 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.79 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.27 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.67 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.75 EPS.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of California Water Service Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $55.00.

California Water Service Group Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of CWT stock opened at $45.53 on Monday. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $44.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $45.49. California Water Service Group has a 1-year low of $41.29 and a 1-year high of $51.63. The company has a market cap of $2.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The utilities provider reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $265.61 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $239.10 million. California Water Service Group had a return on equity of 7.67% and a net margin of 12.82%.The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.33 earnings per share.

California Water Service Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were issued a dividend of $0.335 per share. This represents a $1.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. This is a boost from California Water Service Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. California Water Service Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 62.33%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On California Water Service Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in California Water Service Group by 8.8% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 47,341 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,294,000 after purchasing an additional 3,810 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of California Water Service Group by 21.1% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 311,502 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $15,095,000 after purchasing an additional 54,277 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of California Water Service Group during the first quarter worth about $5,979,000. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in California Water Service Group by 432.4% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 27,161 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,316,000 after buying an additional 22,059 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in California Water Service Group by 16.4% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 28,810 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,396,000 after buying an additional 4,055 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.78% of the company's stock.

California Water Service Group Company Profile

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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