CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP) Announces Earnings Results

CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP) released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The utilities provider reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.01), FiscalAI reports. CenterPoint Energy had a net margin of 11.37% and a return on equity of 10.25%. The firm had revenue of $2.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.40 earnings per share. CenterPoint Energy updated its FY 2026 guidance to 1.900- EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from CenterPoint Energy’s conference call:

• CenterPoint now forecasts peak load will grow 50% (about 10 GW) by 2029 — with 2.5 GW under construction, 5 GW firmly committed and ~3 GW of ordinary growth — which management says will drive jobs, expand the tax base and help keep customer delivery charges essentially flat.
• The company added $500 million to its 10‑year capital plan to fund a third 765 kV import line, lifting the plan to more than $65 billion and noting over $10 billion of additional CapEx upside tied to further transmission and region growth.
• Financial performance: 2025 non‑GAAP EPS of $1.76 (9% y/y) and the company reaffirmed 2026 non‑GAAP EPS guidance of $1.89–$1.91 (≈8% growth at the midpoint) while maintaining a long‑term 7–9% annual EPS growth target through 2035.
• Balance‑sheet tailwinds — recent Treasury guidance on the Corporate AMT, a ~$1.2B securitization priced and expected ~$800M net proceeds from the Ohio sale — should push cash taxes near zero through 2035, improve FFO‑to‑debt by ~60–70 bps and enable roughly $1B of incremental customer‑driven CapEx without issuing equity.
• Near‑term headwinds included a $0.05 EPS drag in Q4 from higher interest expense tied to ~ $3.3B of incremental debt and a $0.02 adverse impact from accelerated O&M/resiliency work, which pressured quarterly results.

CenterPoint Energy Trading Up 2.3%

CenterPoint Energy stock opened at $42.92 on Friday. CenterPoint Energy has a 1 year low of $33.24 and a 1 year high of $43.08. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $39.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 0.51 and a quick ratio of 0.38. The stock has a market cap of $28.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.19, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.59.

CenterPoint Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. CenterPoint Energy’s payout ratio is 55.70%.

Institutional Trading of CenterPoint Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. DV Equities LLC purchased a new stake in CenterPoint Energy in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA lifted its position in shares of CenterPoint Energy by 66.7% in the third quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA now owns 1,250 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new position in CenterPoint Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $71,000. Arax Advisory Partners purchased a new position in CenterPoint Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $81,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its stake in CenterPoint Energy by 132.2% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 3,534 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $135,000 after acquiring an additional 2,012 shares during the last quarter. 91.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CNP has been the subject of several recent research reports. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of CenterPoint Energy from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of CenterPoint Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on CenterPoint Energy from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a research note on Thursday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, CenterPoint Energy has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $41.82.

Trending Headlines about CenterPoint Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting CenterPoint Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results showed revenue growth to about $2.5B and non‑GAAP EPS of $0.45 (up from $0.40 a year ago); GAAP net income was $264M — management credited growth and regulatory recovery for the quarter. CenterPoint Energy reports strong Q4 and FY 2025 results; updates its progress on load forecast; reiterates 2026 full year guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Company raised its 10‑year capital investment plan to $65.5B, signaling an expanded regulated investment runway that should support rate‑base growth and longer‑term earnings visibility. CenterPoint profit rises, boosts 10-year capex plan to $65.5 bln
• Neutral Sentiment: Management reiterated FY2026 EPS guidance at roughly $1.90 — the guide provides stability but is roughly in line with (or a hair below) consensus, limiting a near‑term catalyst from upside revisions. CenterPoint Energy Q4 Earnings Lag Estimates, Revenues Rise Y/Y
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings‑call commentary and the transcript emphasize progress on load forecasting and execution of the growth plan — helpful for investor confidence but not immediately earnings‑accretive. CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (CNP) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Non‑GAAP EPS missed consensus by $0.01 (reported $0.45 vs. $0.46 expected) — a small miss but enough to temper some short‑term sentiment among near‑term traders. CenterPoint Energy (CNP) Q4 Earnings Miss Estimates

CenterPoint Energy Company Profile

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.