Zacks Research Has Positive Forecast for CWT Q4 Earnings

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT) – Analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q4 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for California Water Service Group in a research note issued to investors on Monday, May 18th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the utilities provider will post earnings of $0.37 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.25. The consensus estimate for California Water Service Group’s current full-year earnings is $2.56 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for California Water Service Group’s Q2 2027 earnings at $0.75 EPS and Q3 2027 earnings at $1.37 EPS.

CWT has been the subject of several other research reports. Robert W. Baird set a $54.00 price objective on California Water Service Group in a report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings upgraded California Water Service Group from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $54.50.

California Water Service Group Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE CWT opened at $43.28 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $2.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.51. California Water Service Group has a 52 week low of $41.29 and a 52 week high of $50.44. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $44.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $44.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.25 by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $214.57 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $210.27 million. California Water Service Group had a net margin of 11.77% and a return on equity of 7.06%. The company’s revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.22 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On California Water Service Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in California Water Service Group by 1.5% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 17,627 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $809,000 after buying an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its holdings in California Water Service Group by 0.5% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 54,416 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,475,000 after buying an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in California Water Service Group by 67.9% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 744 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 301 shares in the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank grew its holdings in California Water Service Group by 1.8% during the third quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 17,260 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $792,000 after buying an additional 306 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in California Water Service Group by 109.9% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 697 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 365 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.78% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at California Water Service Group

In related news, VP Michael S. Mares, Jr. sold 3,892 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.00, for a total transaction of $171,248.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 8,525 shares in the company, valued at approximately $375,100. This represents a 31.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Michael B. Luu sold 740 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.53, for a total value of $32,952.20. Following the sale, the vice president owned 23,655 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,053,357.15. This trade represents a 3.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.78% of the company’s stock.

California Water Service Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.335 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. California Water Service Group’s dividend payout ratio is 67.00%.

Trending Headlines about California Water Service Group

Here are the key news stories impacting California Water Service Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised earnings estimates across multiple periods for California Water Service Group, including FY2026, FY2027, FY2028, Q2 2026, Q3 2026, Q4 2026, and Q1 2028, suggesting improved profit expectations and a more constructive outlook for the utility.
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced board-approved promotions of Tamara S. Johnson to Vice President, California Operations, and Gregory D. Shimansky to Vice President, Rates and Regulatory Affairs, which may be viewed favorably as an operational and regulatory stability move. California Water Service Group Promotes Tamara S. Johnson to Vice President, California Operations and Gregory D.
• Neutral Sentiment: The revisions came from a research note rather than a company announcement, so they reflect analyst sentiment more than new operating results or guidance from California Water Service Group.
• Negative Sentiment: One Zacks update trimmed Q2 2027 EPS estimates slightly, showing that not all near-term forecasts were revised upward.

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.