Morgan Stanley Cuts CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP) Price Target to $39.00

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley lowered CenterPoint Energy’s price target from $40 to $39 while maintaining an “equal weight” rating, implying about 1.76% downside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $45.36; recent ratings ranged from “neutral” to “outperform.”
• CenterPoint reported quarterly EPS of $0.40, beating expectations of $0.37, while revenue reached $2.15 billion. Shares fell 1.2% to $39.70 in Friday trading.

CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP - Get Free Report) had its price target decreased by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $40.00 to $39.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "equal weight" rating on the utilities provider's stock. Morgan Stanley's target price would suggest a potential downside of 1.76% from the company's previous close.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of CenterPoint Energy from $48.00 to $47.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a report on Monday, June 15th. BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $49.00 target price on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised CenterPoint Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $45.36.

CenterPoint Energy Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:CNP traded down $0.50 during trading on Friday, reaching $39.70. 1,977,127 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,651,377. CenterPoint Energy has a 1-year low of $36.60 and a 1-year high of $45.26. The firm has a market cap of $26.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.46. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $42.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $42.63. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The utilities provider reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $2.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.12 billion. CenterPoint Energy had a return on equity of 11.10% and a net margin of 11.61%.During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.29 EPS. CenterPoint Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.890-1.910 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that CenterPoint Energy will post 1.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of CenterPoint Energy

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CNP. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new position in shares of CenterPoint Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $770,871,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of CenterPoint Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $343,925,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of CenterPoint Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $332,753,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its position in CenterPoint Energy by 13.2% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 58,286,690 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,234,712,000 after acquiring an additional 6,794,535 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of CenterPoint Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $250,273,000. 91.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About CenterPoint Energy

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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