CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP) Stock Rated "Moderate Buy" by Wall Street Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts rate CenterPoint Energy “Moderate Buy,” with nine buy ratings and seven holds among 16 firms. The average 12-month price target is $44.38, above the stock’s $39.37 opening price.
• CenterPoint exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.40 EPS versus the $0.37 consensus and $2.15 billion in revenue versus $2.12 billion expected.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.24 per share, equating to a $0.96 annualized payout and 2.4% yield; institutional investors own 91.77% of outstanding shares.

CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the sixteen research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $44.38.

CNP has been the subject of several research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $50.00 price objective on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of CenterPoint Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Wolfe Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $49.00 price objective on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of CenterPoint Energy from $47.00 to $43.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 8th.

CenterPoint Energy Stock Up 0.9%

NYSE:CNP opened at $39.37 on Wednesday. CenterPoint Energy has a 1-year low of $36.37 and a 1-year high of $45.26. The company has a 50-day moving average of $39.02 and a 200 day moving average of $41.61. The firm has a market cap of $25.93 billion, a PE ratio of 23.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The utilities provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.12 billion. CenterPoint Energy had a net margin of 11.61% and a return on equity of 11.10%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.29 EPS. CenterPoint Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.890-1.910 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that CenterPoint Energy will post 1.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CenterPoint Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. CenterPoint Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.47%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in shares of CenterPoint Energy by 49.6% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 709 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 235 shares during the period. Focus Financial Network Inc. boosted its holdings in CenterPoint Energy by 4.9% in the second quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 5,089 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $224,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional grew its position in CenterPoint Energy by 3.7% during the second quarter. CX Institutional now owns 7,643 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $337,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in CenterPoint Energy by 14.9% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,555 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $113,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the period. Finally, Accredited Investors Inc. grew its position in CenterPoint Energy by 5.5% during the first quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 7,222 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $312,000 after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the period. 91.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CenterPoint Energy Company Profile

CenterPoint Energy, Inc NYSE: CNP is an energy delivery company headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company focuses on electric and natural gas utility operations, delivering essential energy to residential, commercial and industrial customers.

CenterPoint operates electric transmission and distribution systems in the Houston metropolitan area and parts of southwestern Indiana. It also provides natural gas distribution and related energy services in several states, including Texas, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi and Ohio.

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