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California Water Service

CWT
36
Regulated Water · Utilities
Winston Score
36
Winston is serious
Below-average fundamentals — multiple weak pillars.

California Water Service Group is one of the largest investor-owned water utilities in the United States. It collects, treats, and delivers clean drinking water to homes, businesses, and municipalities — mainly across California, with smaller operations in Washington, New Mexico, and Hawaii. The company owns and operates the pipes, pumps, and treatment facilities that bring water to roughly 2 million people.

The company makes money by charging customers for the water they use, under rates approved by state regulators. Because it operates as a regulated utility, it has a predictable revenue stream, but regulators control how much profit it can earn — which keeps returns modest, as the low ROIC suggests. The main growth driver is getting regulators to approve rate increases to cover rising infrastructure costs, but the main risk is California's ongoing water scarcity and drought conditions, which can reduce water usage and pressure the company's ability to reliably serve customers long-term.

Winston Score History

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Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+5.2% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Slow revenue growth

EPS Growth

-69.3% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Earnings declining

Insider Activity

0.9%ownership

Flat

Insiders holding steady — not selling despite ability to

Cash Runway

~4 months

$104M cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↓ Burn rate worsening

Short runway — potential dilution ahead through share issuance

Cash watch

California Water Service has less than a year of cash at its current burn rate. Growth investors should watch for potential share dilution from future fundraising — that directly reduces your ownership.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

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Quality

Gross Margin
29.7%
Modest — 29.7% gross margin
Operating Margin
8.5%
Modest — 8.5% operating margin
ROCE
0.5%
Weak — 0.5% return on capital

ROIC between 0% and 5%. They earn a few cents back per dollar invested in the business.

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Growth

Sales YoY
+4.2%
Slow sales growth (4.2% YoY)
EPS YoY
-12.4%
Earnings shrinking (-12.4% YoY)

Earnings per share down more than 10%. Either a bad year, or a real decline.

EPS Consistency
2/8 quarters
Earnings rarely grow — volatile business

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Cash Flow

Cash Conversion
264%
Turns 264% of profit into real cash
FCF Margin
-22.0%
Burning cash (-22.0%)

Free cash flow is negative. They are burning cash, not generating it.

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Stability

Debt / Equity
0.95
Moderate — manageable debt (0.95)
Interest Cover
2.28x
Tight — interest eats into profit (2.3x)

Interest coverage between 1 and 3. Profits cover interest, but with little room to spare.

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Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)
25.0x
no trend
Growth-priced — P/E 25.0

P/E above the market average. People are paying up for expected growth.

P/E vs Forward
+7.5
GROWING
Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (25.0 → 17.6)

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Dividends

Dividend Yield
2.59%
no trend
Moderate income — 2.59% yield

Standard yield zone for stable dividend payers. A meaningful piece of total return.

Dividend Growth
+5.8%
no trend
Dividend growing modestly (5.8% YoY)

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