UBS Group AG Purchases 1,728,865 Shares of CenterPoint Energy, Inc. $CNP

Key Points

• UBS Group AG increased its stake in CenterPoint Energy by 31.3% in Q4, buying 1,728,865 shares to hold 7,261,079 shares (about 1.11% of the company) worth roughly $278.39 million.
• Analysts hold a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $44.15; recent research includes buy targets from Truist and Jefferies ($48–$49) and a single sell downgrade.
• CenterPoint declared a quarterly dividend of $0.23 payable June 11, representing a 2.1% yield and a payout ratio of 56.44%.

UBS Group AG boosted its position in CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP - Free Report) by 31.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,261,079 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 1,728,865 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG owned approximately 1.11% of CenterPoint Energy worth $278,390,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in CenterPoint Energy during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. bought a new position in shares of CenterPoint Energy in the third quarter worth about $26,000. LRI Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of CenterPoint Energy by 107.9% during 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 during the last quarter. First Horizon Corp acquired a new position in shares of CenterPoint Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new stake in CenterPoint Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 91.77% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CNP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Truist Financial initiated coverage on CenterPoint Energy in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. They set a "buy" rating and a $48.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $48.00 target price on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of CenterPoint Energy from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered CenterPoint Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on CenterPoint Energy from $44.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $44.15.

CenterPoint Energy Stock Up 0.6%

NYSE CNP opened at $43.14 on Wednesday. CenterPoint Energy, Inc. has a 1-year low of $35.46 and a 1-year high of $44.47. The company has a market capitalization of $28.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.46, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.54. The stock's 50 day moving average is $43.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96.

CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $2.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.98 billion. CenterPoint Energy had a return on equity of 10.56% and a net margin of 11.38%.During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.53 earnings per share. CenterPoint Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.890-1.910 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that CenterPoint Energy, Inc. will post 1.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CenterPoint Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. CenterPoint Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 56.44%.

CenterPoint Energy 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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