Analysts Set CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP) PT at $41.64

Shares of CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $41.4545.

A number of analysts have commented on CNP shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on CenterPoint Energy from $43.00 to $41.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 11th. BMO Capital Markets raised CenterPoint Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $42.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group reduced their price objective on CenterPoint Energy from $45.00 to $43.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a research note on Monday, October 6th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $42.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on shares of CenterPoint Energy from $41.00 to $38.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday.

CenterPoint Energy Stock Up 1.1%

NYSE:CNP opened at $39.75 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a current ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market cap of $25.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.59. CenterPoint Energy has a fifty-two week low of $31.76 and a fifty-two week high of $40.50. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $38.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.37.

CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.04 billion. CenterPoint Energy had a net margin of 11.37% and a return on equity of 10.25%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.31 earnings per share. Analysts predict that CenterPoint Energy will post 1.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CenterPoint Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. This is a boost from CenterPoint Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. CenterPoint Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 55.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CenterPoint Energy

In other news, Director Phillip R. Smith sold 6,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.83, for a total value of $240,746.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 65,577 shares in the company, valued at $2,546,354.91. This trade represents a 8.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of CenterPoint Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of CenterPoint Energy in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. bought a new stake in CenterPoint Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. LRI Investments LLC increased its holdings in CenterPoint Energy by 107.9% during the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 684 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 355 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chung Wu Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in CenterPoint Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 91.77% of the company’s stock.

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.