CMS Energy Co. (NYSE:CMS) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

CMS Energy Co. (NYSE:CMS) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $65.55.

Several analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com raised CMS Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. Guggenheim raised their target price on CMS Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Evercore ISI raised shares of CMS Energy to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of CMS Energy from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of CMS Energy from $66.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th.

CMS Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CMS opened at $66.45 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $61.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $60.33. CMS Energy has a 52-week low of $49.87 and a 52-week high of $67.77. The company has a market cap of $19.84 billion, a PE ratio of 20.26, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.38.

CMS Energy (NYSE:CMS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The utilities provider reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.73 billion. CMS Energy had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 12.25%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.75 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that CMS Energy will post 3.33 EPS for the current year.

CMS Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 2nd will be paid a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 2nd. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.07%. CMS Energy’s payout ratio is 62.80%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jon E. Barfield sold 2,360 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.79, for a total transaction of $143,464.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 14,556 shares in the company, valued at $884,859.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Brandon J. Hofmeister sold 1,667 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.98, for a total value of $99,986.66. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 68,330 shares in the company, valued at $4,098,433.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jon E. Barfield sold 2,360 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.79, for a total transaction of $143,464.40. Following the sale, the director now owns 14,556 shares in the company, valued at $884,859.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CMS. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in CMS Energy in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of CMS Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CMS Energy by 431.3% in the 2nd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 712 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 578 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of CMS Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of CMS Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.57% of the company’s stock.

CMS Energy Company Profile

CMS Energy Corporation operates as an energy company primarily in Michigan. The company operates through three segments: Electric Utility; Gas Utility; and Enterprises. The Electric Utility segment is involved in the generation, purchase, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity. This segment generates electricity through coal, wind, gas, renewable energy, oil, and nuclear sources.