CWT
Hot AirCalifornia Water Service Group · Utilities · United States · $3.0B cap · $21.7M/day traded
$49.67 -0.8% · close 11 Nov · scored 12 Nov
Hot Air: Strong momentum and nothing else: weak business, rich price.
As of 12 Nov 2026, the MoatMap Score for California Water Service Group (CWT) is 43/100, ranked against 25,000+ stocks in 38 markets (Quality 41, Value 35, Momentum 60, each scored against its sector).
Does the score work? Each tenth of the ranking, tracked monthly. See the record →
ABOUT CALIFORNIA WATER SERVICE GROUP
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California Water Service Group is the largest regulated American water utility west of the Mississippi River, providing water and wastewater services to over 2 million people across California, Hawaii, New Mexico, and Washington. The company operates within a highly regulated and essential service industry, benefiting from natural monopoly characteristics and predictable revenue streams. Its regulated asset base and strong geographical concentration in growing regions provide a stable investment profile.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY (USD)
| Year | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | CAGR | TTM | 2026E | 2027E | Fwd CAGR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 846.4M | 794.6M | 1.0B | 1.0B | 5.7% | 1.1B | 1.1B | 1.2B | 7.7% |
| EPS | 1.77 | 0.91 | 3.26 | 2.15 | 6.7% | 2.26 | 2.62 | 2.73 | 12.6% |
| Shares | 55.6M | 57.7M | 59.5M | 59.6M | +7.3% | 62.9M | — | — | — |
| Debt | 1.1B | 1.2B | 1.4B | 1.6B | 12.5% | 1.6B | — | — | — |
| Equity | 1.3B | 1.4B | 1.6B | 1.7B | 8.6% | — | — | — | — |
| Op CF | 243.8M | 217.8M | 290.9M | 302.6M | 7.5% | 310.1M | — | — | — |
| Inv CF | -335.5M | -389.4M | -474.9M | -520.1M | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fin CF | 96.1M | 171.5M | 194.7M | 219.3M | — | — | — | — | — |
Above its 200-day average and 6% below its 52-week high.
Calmer than 85% of stocks we rank over the past year (volatility 24% a year).
How this is worked out
The MoatMap Score weighs the business, its price and its trend. The price check reads only the chart: the price side of the Momentum score, in words.
The rules: Still falling is a new 52-week low in the last two weeks, at least 25% below the high. Finding a floor is no new low since. Turning up is 20 or more trading days without a new low, at least 10% off it, and back above a rising 50-day average. In an uptrend is above the 200-day average and within 15% of the high.
In 2,112 US drawdowns since 2001, buying while the price was still falling was followed by a further 20% drop 42% of the time. Waiting for a turn (the Turning up rule above) cut that to 33%, at about 7% higher prices and with no better returns. Part of that cut is simply not buying: 13% of falls never turned, and waiting kept those out. Among turns that were bought, 38% still fell another 20%, and 33% of turns were followed by a new low within six months. The benefit was largest in crashes such as 2008 and 2020.
What it measures: how much the price moved day to day over the past year, scaled to a yearly figure (annualised volatility) and ranked against every stock we cover. Very calm under 20% a year, Calm 20 to 30%, Average 30 to 40%, Bumpy 40 to 55%, Very bumpy above that.
What we found: across about 13,500 stocks in 34 markets (2002 to 2025), past swings were a good guide to the next year's, and bumpier stocks fell further. How much further changed too much between eras to put a number on it.
Calm is not safe: a calm stock can still slide steadily.
Rules fixed before any data was fetched. Describes the chart, not a recommendation.
SCORE BREAKDOWN
FUNDAMENTALS
SECTOR PEERS
Closest peers in Utilities, ranked by industry match, size, and score similarity. Cross-listings of CWT are excluded.
| Ticker | Company | Mkt Cap | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| CWT | California Water Service Group(you) | $3.0B | 43 |
| HTO | H2O America | $2.5B | 48 |
| AWR | American States Water Company | $3.4B | 59 |
| MSEX | Middlesex Water Company | $1.1B | 41 |
| WTRG | Essential Utilities, Inc. | $12.2B | 51 |
| YORW | The York Water Company | $479M | 46 |
| AWK | American Water Works Company, Inc. | $28.4B | 54 |
| ARTNA | Artesian Resources Corporation | $352M | 58 |
| PCYO | Pure Cycle Corporation | $260M | 57 |
| GWRS | Global Water Resources, Inc. | $228M | 24 |
Peer medians: ROE 9.1% · P/E 20.5x · Gross margin 45.3%
Company Deep Dive
A 10,000-word report: the business and its segments, what management promised on earnings calls and whether it delivered, the competition, and how things could turn out.