CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the thirteen brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $41.8182.

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on CNP. KeyCorp raised CenterPoint Energy from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $41.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $37.00 price objective on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. BMO Capital Markets upgraded CenterPoint Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $42.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Wall Street Zen raised CenterPoint Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on CenterPoint Energy from $45.00 to $43.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th.

Institutional Trading of CenterPoint Energy

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of CNP. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of CenterPoint Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new position in CenterPoint Energy during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of CenterPoint Energy in the third quarter worth $26,000. LRI Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of CenterPoint Energy by 107.9% in the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 684 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its stake in shares of CenterPoint Energy by 165.0% during the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 734 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 457 shares during the last quarter. 91.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CenterPoint Energy Stock Performance

Shares of CNP opened at $41.65 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. CenterPoint Energy has a 52-week low of $32.63 and a 52-week high of $42.10. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $38.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $38.81. The company has a market capitalization of $27.19 billion, a PE ratio of 26.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.59.

CenterPoint Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This is an increase from CenterPoint Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. CenterPoint Energy’s payout ratio is 55.70%.

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.