Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Acquires 32,474 Shares of CMS Energy Co. (NYSE:CMS)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its stake in CMS Energy Co. (NYSE:CMS) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 755,162 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 32,474 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.25% of CMS Energy worth $50,332,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in CMS. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in CMS Energy by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,610,120 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $537,503,000 after purchasing an additional 719,093 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CMS Energy by 1.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,509,770 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $528,713,000 after buying an additional 105,062 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of CMS Energy by 0.9% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,155,842 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $152,267,000 after acquiring an additional 18,403 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in CMS Energy by 1.4% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,822,389 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $128,715,000 after acquiring an additional 25,196 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brookfield Corp ON grew its stake in CMS Energy by 0.6% during the third quarter. Brookfield Corp ON now owns 1,199,811 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $84,743,000 after acquiring an additional 7,142 shares in the last quarter. 93.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CMS Energy Price Performance

CMS stock opened at $69.14 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.23. The firm has a market cap of $20.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.42. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $66.77 and its 200 day moving average is $67.93. CMS Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $55.10 and a 52 week high of $72.40.

CMS Energy (NYSE:CMS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.86 by $0.01. CMS Energy had a return on equity of 12.02% and a net margin of 13.35%. Research analysts predict that CMS Energy Co. will post 3.59 earnings per share for the current year.

CMS Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a $0.5425 dividend. This represents a $2.17 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.14%. This is an increase from CMS Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. CMS Energy’s payout ratio is presently 62.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on CMS. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of CMS Energy from $70.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays lifted their price objective on CMS Energy from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on CMS Energy from $77.00 to $76.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on CMS Energy in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $76.00 price target on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com raised CMS Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $71.15.

Insider Activity at CMS Energy

In related news, SVP Brandon J. Hofmeister sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.17, for a total value of $136,340.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 64,771 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,415,439.07. This trade represents a 3.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Scott B. Mcintosh sold 936 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.50, for a total value of $64,116.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 24,417 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,672,564.50. The trade was a 3.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 33,686 shares of company stock worth $2,228,084 in the last three months. 0.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.