California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Posted by Brian Himes on Sep 16th, 2026

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT – Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 2,429,274 shares, an increase of 70.4% from the August 15th total of 1,425,414 shares. Approximately 4.0% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 468,427 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.2 days.

Insider Transactions at California Water Service Group

In related news, Director Thomas Krummel sold 3,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.37, for a total value of $186,369.00. Following the sale, the director owned 20,104 shares in the company, valued at $1,012,638.48. This represents a 15.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Lester Snow sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.21, for a total transaction of $25,105.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 17,817 shares in the company, valued at approximately $894,591.57. The trade was a 2.73% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.78% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in California Water Service Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $270,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in California Water Service Group by 8.0% during the second quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 6,123 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $298,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in California Water Service Group by 159.2% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,213 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 745 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in California Water Service Group by 7.0% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 28,115 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,368,000 after purchasing an additional 1,850 shares during the period. Finally, Nykredit A S purchased a new position in shares of California Water Service Group in the second quarter worth about $297,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.78% of the company’s stock.

California Water Service Group Stock Up 0.3%

CWT stock traded up $0.13 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $47.95. The stock had a trading volume of 338,648 shares, compared to its average volume of 487,676. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The company has a market capitalization of $2.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.50. California Water Service Group has a one year low of $41.29 and a one year high of $53.82. The company’s 50 day moving average is $50.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.03.

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.13. California Water Service Group had a net margin of 12.63% and a return on equity of 7.74%. The firm had revenue of $308.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $283.50 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.71 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that California Water Service Group will post 2.57 EPS for the current year.

California Water Service Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were given a $0.335 dividend. This represents a $1.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. California Water Service Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.36%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on CWT shares. Weiss Ratings raised California Water Service Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Seaport Research Partners reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $53.00 price target on shares of California Water Service Group in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded California Water Service Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $54.00.

View Our Latest Stock Report on California Water Service Group

About California Water Service Group

(Get Free Report)

California Water Service Group (NYSE: CWT) is a water utility holding company that provides regulated water service to residential, commercial, industrial and public-sector customers. Its operating companies collect, treat, test and distribute drinking water through local water systems, while also maintaining the wells, reservoirs, treatment facilities, pipelines and other infrastructure needed to deliver reliable service.

The company operates primarily through California Water Service Company, along with subsidiaries serving customers in Hawaii, New Mexico and Washington.