What is Zacks Research’s Forecast for CWT FY2026 Earnings?

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research dropped their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for California Water Service Group in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, November 11th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the utilities provider will earn $2.43 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $2.61. The consensus estimate for California Water Service Group’s current full-year earnings is $2.53 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for California Water Service Group’s Q4 2026 earnings at $0.38 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.23 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.87 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.27 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.69 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $0.32 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $0.85 EPS, Q3 2028 earnings at $1.28 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.79 EPS.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of California Water Service Group in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised California Water Service Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 18th. Freedom Broker upgraded shares of California Water Service Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $49.00 to $53.00 in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reissued a “buy” rating and set a $53.00 price objective on shares of California Water Service Group in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, California Water Service Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $53.50.

California Water Service Group Trading Down 0.5%

CWT opened at $49.42 on Friday. California Water Service Group has a one year low of $41.29 and a one year high of $53.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $47.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $46.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.06, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.47.

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.16 by ($0.11). California Water Service Group had a return on equity of 7.75% and a net margin of 12.78%. The business had revenue of $332.17 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $332.17 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.03 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Trading of California Water Service Group

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of California Water Service Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $523,255,000. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of California Water Service Group by 0.5% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 3,486,859 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $169,741,000 after purchasing an additional 15,862 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of California Water Service Group by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,158,359 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $52,522,000 after purchasing an additional 4,428 shares in the last quarter. Nuance Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of California Water Service Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $53,324,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of California Water Service Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,285,000. 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 Snow sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.21, for a total value of $25,105.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 17,817 shares in the company, valued at approximately $894,591.57. This represents a 2.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.78% of the company’s stock.

California Water Service Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Investors of record on Monday, November 9th will be paid a $0.3350 dividend. This represents a $1.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 9th. California Water Service Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 59.82%.

Key Stories Impacting California Water Service Group

Investors following CWT have been watching these stories:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its FY2028 EPS estimate to $2.79 from $2.76. It also lifted estimates for Q2 2027, Q1 2028 and Q2 2028, indicating some improvement in selected future-quarter expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut its FY2026 EPS forecast to $2.43 from $2.61, below the cited $2.53 full-year consensus. It also lowered FY2027 to $2.69 from $2.72 and reduced estimates for Q4 2026, Q1 2027, Q3 2027 and Q3 2028. The near-term downgrades are the more significant signal and may pressure the stock.

California Water Service Group Company Profile

California Water Service Group is a holding company that provides water and wastewater services through regulated utility subsidiaries. Its operations serve residential, commercial, industrial and public-sector customers, with services that include water delivery, wastewater collection and treatment, and related utility operations. The company serves communities in California, Hawaii, New Mexico and Washington. Its subsidiaries include California Water Service, Hawaii Water Service, New Mexico Water Service and Washington Water Service.