California Water Service Group Holding (NYSE:CWT) Stock Rating Reaffirmed by US Capital Advisors

US Capital Advisors reiterated their hold rating on shares of California Water Service Group Holding (NYSE:CWT) in a report issued on Monday, July 17th.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of California Water Service Group Holding from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, July 11th. BidaskClub cut shares of California Water Service Group Holding from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, June 22nd. Finally, Gabelli cut shares of California Water Service Group Holding from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have assigned a hold rating to the company. California Water Service Group Holding presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $34.40.

Shares of California Water Service Group Holding (NYSE:CWT) opened at 38.85 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.37 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $37.38 and a 200-day moving average of $35.74. California Water Service Group Holding has a 52-week low of $29.25 and a 52-week high of $39.65.

California Water Service Group Holding (NYSE:CWT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 27th. The utilities provider reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $171.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $162.23 million. California Water Service Group Holding had a net margin of 9.17% and a return on equity of 8.78%. California Water Service Group Holding’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.24 EPS. Equities analysts expect that California Water Service Group Holding will post $1.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 18th. Investors of record on Monday, August 7th will be given a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 3rd. California Water Service Group Holding’s payout ratio is presently 60.00%.

In related news, VP David B. Healey sold 1,000 shares of California Water Service Group Holding stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.90, for a total value of $35,900.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 13,574 shares in the company, valued at approximately $487,306.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. LS Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of California Water Service Group Holding by 62.5% in the first quarter. LS Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,782 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $100,000 after buying an additional 1,070 shares in the last quarter. Gierl Augustine Investment Management Inc increased its position in shares of California Water Service Group Holding by 0.3% in the first quarter. Gierl Augustine Investment Management Inc now owns 2,909 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $104,000 after buying an additional 8 shares in the last quarter. Accurate Investment Solutions Inc. increased its position in shares of California Water Service Group Holding by 0.3% in the second quarter. Accurate Investment Solutions Inc. now owns 2,917 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $107,000 after buying an additional 8 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of California Water Service Group Holding during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $129,000. Finally, Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of California Water Service Group Holding during the first quarter valued at approximately $149,000. Institutional investors own 68.43% of the company’s stock.

California Water Service Group Holding Company Profile

California Water Service Group is a holding company. The Company operates through the supply and distribution of water and providing water-related utility services segment. The Company, through its subsidiaries, provides non-regulated services and non-regulated services to private companies and municipalities.