CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP) Stock Has Average Price Target of $44.38

Shares of CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $44.38.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on CNP shares. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of CenterPoint Energy from $39.00 to $38.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 18th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a report on Friday, September 11th. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on shares of CenterPoint Energy from $47.00 to $43.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 8th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CenterPoint Energy

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of CenterPoint Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its position in shares of CenterPoint Energy by 49.6% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 709 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. MidFirst Bank bought a new position in shares of CenterPoint Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $38,000. Rexford Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of CenterPoint Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of CenterPoint Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.77% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting CenterPoint Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp maintained an Overweight/Buy rating and a $44 price target, implying potential upside from recent trading levels. However, the firm lowered its Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $0.48 from $0.51. CenterPoint Energy Gets a Buy from KeyBanc
• Neutral Sentiment: KeyCorp’s longer-term EPS forecasts remain constructive, projecting earnings growth from $2.08 in FY2027 to $2.66 in FY2030, despite modest reductions to each forecast. The revisions suggest continued growth expectations but slightly less optimism about the pace of expansion. KeyCorp CenterPoint Energy estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: CenterPoint announced a $5.39122-per-note additional-interest payment on its 2.0% Zero-Premium Exchangeable Subordinated Notes due 2029. The payment benefits noteholders but represents a scheduled cash obligation for the company. CenterPoint Energy additional interest payment
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst sentiment softened as JPMorgan issued a pessimistic forecast and KeyCorp reduced its Q3 and FY2027–FY2030 EPS estimates. The cuts were small, but they may weigh on the stock by signaling more cautious expectations for future earnings. JPMorgan pessimistic CenterPoint Energy forecast CenterPoint Energy Q4 EPS estimate reduced
• Negative Sentiment: KeyCorp also lowered its price target to $44, limiting the near-term valuation catalyst even though it retained a bullish rating. KeyCorp cuts CenterPoint Energy price target

CenterPoint Energy Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of NYSE CNP opened at $40.61 on Wednesday. CenterPoint Energy has a 12 month low of $36.37 and a 12 month high of $45.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.89, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.47. The business has a 50-day moving average of $38.98 and a 200-day moving average of $41.56.

CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The utilities provider reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.12 billion. CenterPoint Energy had a net margin of 11.61% and a return on equity of 11.10%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.29 earnings per share. CenterPoint Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.890-1.910 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that CenterPoint Energy will post 1.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CenterPoint Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. CenterPoint Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.47%.

CenterPoint Energy Company Profile

CenterPoint Energy, Inc (NYSE:CNP) is an energy delivery company headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company focuses on electric and natural gas utility operations, delivering essential energy to residential, commercial and industrial customers.

CenterPoint operates electric transmission and distribution systems in the Houston metropolitan area and parts of southwestern Indiana. It also provides natural gas distribution and related energy services in several states, including Texas, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi and Ohio.