Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Outlook for CWT Earnings

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q2 2026 earnings per share estimates for California Water Service Group in a note issued to investors on Monday, January 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the utilities provider will earn $0.69 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $0.66. 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 Q4 2026 earnings at $0.39 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.27 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.72 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.32 EPS and Q4 2027 earnings at $0.32 EPS.

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.20 by ($0.17). The company had revenue of $311.24 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $321.35 million. California Water Service Group had a return on equity of 8.23% and a net margin of 13.61%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.03 EPS.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $55.00 price target on shares of California Water Service Group in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of California Water Service Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, California Water Service Group presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $55.00.

California Water Service Group Stock Up 2.5%

NYSE CWT opened at $45.61 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.52. California Water Service Group has a fifty-two week low of $41.29 and a fifty-two week high of $51.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.72 billion, a PE ratio of 19.92, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.64. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $44.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $45.66.

California Water Service Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. California Water Service Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.40%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On California Water Service Group

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CWT. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in California Water Service Group by 3,318.8% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 547 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 531 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in shares of California Water Service Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 365 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. bought a new stake in California Water Service Group during the second quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of California Water Service Group by 291.1% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 880 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 655 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.78% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting California Water Service Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised several quarter-level forecasts for 2026–2027 (notably Q2 2026 to $0.69 from $0.66, Q1 2027 to $0.27 from $0.26, Q2 2027 to $0.72 from $0.69, and Q3 2027 to $1.32 from $1.28) — signals of stronger expected seasonal/longer‑term earnings in portions of the outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks published a valuation/comparison piece weighing CWT vs. American Water Works (AWK), which can drive relative‑value flows into the stock as investors re‑assess which water utility offers better growth/yield tradeoffs. CWT vs. AWK: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed near‑term and some full‑year forecasts: Q3 2026 EPS to $1.21 (from $1.22), FY2026 to $2.52 (from $2.53), Q4 2026 to $0.39 (from $0.43), and Q4 2027 to $0.32 (from $0.40). Those cuts—while modest—point to some downward revision risk to near‑term profitability and may temper expectations until regulatory/rate drivers are clearer.

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.