CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give CenterPoint Energy a consensus "Hold" rating from 15 analysts (1 sell, 6 hold, 8 buy) with an average 12‑month price target of about $44.15.
• CenterPoint missed Q1 EPS at $0.45 versus $0.46 expected but beat revenue at $2.51B versus $2.23B, and the company set FY2026 guidance at 1.900 EPS (in line with analyst forecasts).
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.23 (annualized $0.92) for a 2.2% yield, with an ex‑dividend date of May 21 and payment on June 11; payout ratio is 57.5%.

CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the fifteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $44.1538.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on CNP shares. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of CenterPoint Energy from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $42.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of CenterPoint Energy from $44.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Truist Financial started coverage on CenterPoint Energy in a research report on Tuesday. They set a "buy" rating and a $48.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho set a $44.00 target price on CenterPoint Energy in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "underperform" rating and issued a $37.00 target price on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st.

Institutional Trading of CenterPoint Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of CenterPoint Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of CenterPoint Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of CenterPoint Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. LRI Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of CenterPoint Energy by 107.9% in the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 684 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its position in shares of CenterPoint Energy by 49.6% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 709 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.77% of the company's stock.

CenterPoint Energy Stock Performance

Shares of CNP stock opened at $42.33 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $42.98 and a 200 day moving average of $40.45. CenterPoint Energy has a 52 week low of $35.46 and a 52 week high of $44.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.45, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84.

CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.01). CenterPoint Energy had a net margin of 11.24% and a return on equity of 10.46%. The company had revenue of $2.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.40 earnings per share. CenterPoint Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.900- EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that CenterPoint Energy will post 1.9 earnings per share for the current year.

CenterPoint Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. CenterPoint Energy's dividend payout ratio is 57.50%.

CenterPoint Energy Company Profile

CenterPoint Energy, Inc NYSE: CNP is a Houston-based regulated utility company that provides electric and natural gas delivery services and related infrastructure operations. The company's principal activities center on the transmission and distribution of electricity in the greater Houston metropolitan area and the distribution of natural gas to customers across several states in the Midwest and South. As a vertically integrated utility, CenterPoint focuses on the reliable delivery of energy through owned and operated networks of lines, pipelines and associated facilities.

CenterPoint's core businesses include regulated electric transmission and distribution services, regulated natural gas distribution, and the operation and maintenance of energy infrastructure.

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