The stock of California Water Service Group (NYSE: CWT) has increased by 0.74 when compared to last closing price of 46.23. Despite this, the company has experienced a 5.43% gain in its stock price over the last five trading sessions. Zacks Investment Research reported 2024-04-24 that Rising global warming and its adverse impact on Earth makes it important for investors to be socially responsive while creating their investment portfolio. While these stocks and ETFs should gain, rising natural disasters should also boost businesses of disaster recovery stocks.
Is It Worth Investing in California Water Service Group (NYSE: CWT) Right Now?
The price-to-earnings ratio for California Water Service Group (NYSE: CWT) is above average at 52.47x. The 36-month beta value for CWT is also noteworthy at 0.49. There are mixed opinions on the stock, with 0 analysts rating it as a “buy,” 0 rating it as “overweight,” 6 rating it as “hold,” and 0 rating it as “sell.”
The public float for CWT is 57.16M, and at present, short sellers hold a 2.09% of that float. The average trading volume of CWT on April 25, 2024 was 354.05K shares.
CWT’s Market Performance
CWT stock saw an increase of 5.43% in the past week, with a monthly gain of 1.90% and a quarterly increase of 2.71%. The volatility ratio for the week is 2.21%, and the volatility levels for the last 30 days are 2.07% for California Water Service Group (CWT). The simple moving average for the past 20 days is 2.20% for CWT’s stock, with a -4.85% simple moving average for the past 200 days.
Analysts’ Opinion of CWT
Wells Fargo, on the other hand, stated in their research note that they expect to see CWT reach a price target of $47, previously predicting the price at $56. The rating they have provided for CWT stocks is “Underweight” according to the report published on October 25th, 2023.
Janney gave a rating of “Buy” to CWT, setting the target price at $66 in the report published on July 28th of the previous year.
CWT Trading at 1.08% from the 50-Day Moving Average
After a stumble in the market that brought CWT to its low price for the period of the last 52 weeks, the company was unable to rebound, for now settling with -20.68% of loss for the given period.
Volatility was left at 2.07%, however, over the last 30 days, the volatility rate increased by 2.21%, as shares surge +3.05% for the moving average over the last 20 days. Over the last 50 days, in opposition, the stock is trading -2.61% lower at present.
During the last 5 trading sessions, CWT rose by +5.43%, which changed the moving average for the period of 200-days by -5.54% in comparison to the 20-day moving average, which settled at $45.64. In addition, California Water Service Group saw -10.22% in overturn over a single year, with a tendency to cut further losses.
Insider Trading
Reports are indicating that there were more than several insider trading activities at CWT starting from Krummel Thomas M, who sale 555 shares at the price of $51.90 back on Jan 03 ’24. After this action, Krummel Thomas M now owns 26,066 shares of California Water Service Group, valued at $28,804 using the latest closing price.
Krummel Thomas M, the Director of California Water Service Group, sale 555 shares at $53.45 during a trade that took place back on Dec 20 ’23, which means that Krummel Thomas M is holding 26,621 shares at $29,665 based on the most recent closing price.
Stock Fundamentals for CWT
Current profitability levels for the company are sitting at:
- 0.08 for the present operating margin
- 0.51 for the gross margin
The net margin for California Water Service Group stands at 0.07. The total capital return value is set at 0.02. Equity return is now at value 3.78, with 1.20 for asset returns.
Based on California Water Service Group (CWT), the company’s capital structure generated 0.46 points at debt to capital in total, while cash flow to debt ratio is standing at 0.18. The debt to equity ratio resting at 0.86. The interest coverage ratio of the stock is 1.29.
Currently, EBITDA for the company is 185.07 million with net debt to EBITDA at 5.79. When we switch over and look at the enterprise to sales, we see a ratio of 4.84. The receivables turnover for the company is 4.49for trailing twelve months and the total asset turnover is 0.17. The liquidity ratio also appears to be rather interesting for investors as it stands at 0.69.
Conclusion
In summary, California Water Service Group (CWT) has had a mixed performance as of late. Analysts have mixed opinions on the stock, with some viewing it as a “buy” and others as a “hold”. It’s important to note that the stock is currently trading at a significant distance from its 50-day moving average and its 52-week high.
