Stack Financial Management Inc Makes New $31.62 Million Investment in CenterPoint Energy, Inc. $CNP

Stack Financial Management Inc purchased a new stake in CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 718,069 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $31,624,000. CenterPoint Energy comprises approximately 2.5% of Stack Financial Management Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Stack Financial Management Inc owned approximately 0.11% of CenterPoint Energy at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of CenterPoint Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in CenterPoint Energy by 49.6% in 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. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its holdings in CenterPoint Energy by 165.0% during the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 734 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 457 shares during the period. DV Equities LLC bought a new position in CenterPoint Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Rexford Capital Inc. acquired a new position in CenterPoint Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors own 91.77% of the company’s stock.

CenterPoint Energy Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:CNP opened at $40.83 on Friday. CenterPoint Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $36.60 and a 12-month high of $45.26. The business has a 50 day moving average of $42.92 and a 200-day moving average of $42.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. The stock has a market cap of $26.90 billion, a PE ratio of 24.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.46.

CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The utilities provider reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.12 billion. CenterPoint Energy had a return on equity of 11.10% and a net margin of 11.61%.During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.29 earnings per share. CenterPoint Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.890-1.910 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that CenterPoint Energy, Inc. will post 1.91 earnings per share for the current year.

CenterPoint Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. This is a positive change from CenterPoint Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. CenterPoint Energy’s payout ratio is currently 56.47%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on CNP. Truist Financial cut their price objective on CenterPoint Energy from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley set a $40.00 target price on CenterPoint Energy in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. BTIG Research began coverage on CenterPoint Energy in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group set a $50.00 price target on CenterPoint Energy in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, KeyCorp cut their price target on CenterPoint Energy from $47.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $45.57.

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.