Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC Trims Stock Holdings in CenterPoint Energy, Inc. $CNP

Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP) by 51.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 31,596 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 33,096 shares during the quarter. Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC’s holdings in CenterPoint Energy were worth $1,226,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in CenterPoint Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of CenterPoint Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. LRI Investments LLC raised its holdings in CenterPoint Energy by 107.9% in the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 684 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 355 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Corp purchased a new position in CenterPoint Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new position in CenterPoint Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.77% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CNP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Wall Street Zen upgraded CenterPoint Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $37.00 target price on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of CenterPoint Energy from $43.00 to $41.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $42.55.

CenterPoint Energy Stock Down 0.8%

CNP stock opened at $43.13 on Wednesday. CenterPoint Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $34.27 and a twelve month high of $44.04. 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 $28.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.96, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.58. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $40.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $39.40.

CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $2.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.40 earnings per share. CenterPoint Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.900- EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that CenterPoint Energy, Inc. will post 1.75 EPS for the current year.

CenterPoint Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. This is an increase from CenterPoint Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. CenterPoint Energy’s payout ratio is currently 57.50%.

CenterPoint Energy 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.