California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT) Shares Acquired by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT – Get Rating) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,257,524 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,968 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in California Water Service Group were worth $76,259,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp increased its holdings in California Water Service Group by 27.0% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,369,713 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $298,288,000 after buying an additional 1,140,204 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in California Water Service Group by 828.0% in the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 144,794 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,629,000 after buying an additional 129,191 shares during the last quarter. Eaton Vance Management increased its holdings in California Water Service Group by 6,846.4% in the first quarter. Eaton Vance Management now owns 126,008 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,470,000 after buying an additional 124,194 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management SA increased its holdings in California Water Service Group by 5.3% in the third quarter. Pictet Asset Management SA now owns 1,647,320 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $86,798,000 after buying an additional 83,350 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in California Water Service Group by 1.2% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,624,310 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $349,034,000 after buying an additional 79,168 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.01% of the company’s stock.

California Water Service Group Stock Down 0.2 %

NYSE:CWT opened at $56.13 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.14 billion, a PE ratio of 41.89 and a beta of 0.48. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $57.39 and a 200-day moving average of $59.84. California Water Service Group has a 52 week low of $48.46 and a 52 week high of $66.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81.

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT – Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $200.94 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $180.14 million. California Water Service Group had a return on equity of 5.69% and a net margin of 9.04%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.07 earnings per share. Analysts predict that California Water Service Group will post 1.84 EPS for the current year.

California Water Service Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 8th were given a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 5th. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.85%. California Water Service Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 77.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on California Water Service Group in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a “sell” rating for the company.

Insider Transactions at California Water Service Group

In other news, VP Robert J. Kuta sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.79, for a total transaction of $56,790.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 12,916 shares in the company, valued at $733,499.64. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

California Water Service Group Company Profile

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California Water Service Group is a holding company, which engages in provision of water utility and other related services in California, Washington, New Mexico, and Hawaii through its wholly-owned subsidiaries. The firm is involved in the production, purchase, storage, treatment, testing, distribution and sale of water for domestic, industrial, public, and irrigation uses, as well as for fire protection.