CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP) Now Covered by Analysts at Truist Financial

Truist Financial began coverage on shares of CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP) in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm issued a buy rating and a $48.00 price target on the utilities provider’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Bank of America increased their target price on CenterPoint Energy from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. 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 report on Tuesday, January 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $48.00 target price on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a report on Tuesday. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Eight investment 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.com, CenterPoint Energy currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $44.15.

CenterPoint Energy Price Performance

Shares of CNP opened at $42.33 on Tuesday. CenterPoint Energy has a 12-month low of $35.46 and a 12-month high of $44.47. The business’s fifty day moving average is $42.98 and its 200 day moving average is $40.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84. The stock has a market cap of $27.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.54.

CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.01). CenterPoint Energy had a return on equity of 10.46% and a net margin of 11.24%.The firm had revenue of $2.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.40 earnings per share. CenterPoint Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.900- EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that CenterPoint Energy will post 1.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CenterPoint Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. CenterPoint Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 57.50%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CenterPoint Energy

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new position in CenterPoint Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in CenterPoint Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. bought a new position in CenterPoint Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. LRI Investments LLC increased its position in shares of CenterPoint Energy by 107.9% during the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 684 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 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. 91.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.