What is Zacks Research’s Forecast for CWT Q3 Earnings?

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for California Water Service Group in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, January 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the utilities provider will earn $1.21 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.22. 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 FY2026 earnings at $2.52 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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by ($0.17). California Water Service Group had a return on equity of 8.23% and a net margin of 13.61%.The company had revenue of $311.24 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $321.35 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.03 EPS. California Water Service Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on CWT. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of California Water Service Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $55.00 target price on California Water Service Group in a research note on Friday, October 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, California Water Service Group currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $55.00.

California Water Service Group Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE CWT opened at $44.55 on Wednesday. California Water Service Group has a 52 week low of $41.29 and a 52 week high of $51.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.45, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a fifty day moving average of $44.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.66.

Institutional Trading of California Water Service Group

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of CWT. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of California Water Service Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,757,000. Amundi raised its position in shares of California Water Service Group by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,276,599 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $104,318,000 after acquiring an additional 369,430 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of California Water Service Group by 5,365.1% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 368,074 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $16,891,000 after purchasing an additional 361,339 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in California Water Service Group during the first quarter valued at about $5,979,000. Finally, Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. purchased a new position in California Water Service Group in the second quarter valued at about $4,548,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.78% of the company’s stock.

California Water Service Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. California Water Service Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.40%.

Key Headlines Impacting California Water Service Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised 2027 quarterly outlooks for CWT — notably Q3 2027 to $1.32 (from $1.28) and smaller raises for Q2 2027 and Q1 2027 — indicating Zacks sees stronger earnings further out, which could support valuation if trend continues. MarketBeat CWT
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks also lifted its Q2 2026 estimate to $0.69 (from $0.66), a near-term upward revision that may offset some downside risk for that quarter. MarketBeat CWT
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst comparison piece weighs CWT versus American Water Works (AWK) for value investors — useful context for relative valuation and peer positioning but not an immediate catalyst. CWT vs. AWK: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed its Q3 2026 EPS estimate slightly to $1.21 (from $1.22) and lowered FY2026 EPS to $2.52 (from $2.53) — the moves are small but signal modest downward revision risk to consensus near-term earnings. MarketBeat CWT
• Negative Sentiment: More material cuts: Zacks reduced Q4 2026 to $0.39 (from $0.43) and cut Q4 2027 to $0.32 (from $0.40) — these downward adjustments to later-year quarters are a clearer negative signal for forward earnings visibility. MarketBeat CWT

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.