Daiichi Life Insurance Co. Ltd. Buys New Position in CenterPoint Energy, Inc. $CNP

Daiichi Life Insurance Co. Ltd. bought a new position in CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 28,970 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,276,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of CenterPoint Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of CenterPoint Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted 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 acquiring an additional 235 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 457 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MidFirst Bank bought a new position in CenterPoint Energy during the second quarter worth $38,000. 91.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CenterPoint Energy Stock Performance

CNP opened at $39.09 on Tuesday. 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $42.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $42.62. CenterPoint Energy, Inc. has a 1-year low of $36.60 and a 1-year high of $45.26. The company has a market cap of $25.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.99, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.46.

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

CenterPoint Energy Increases Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.24 per share. 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 2.5%. This is an increase from CenterPoint Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. CenterPoint Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on CNP. Evercore set a $43.00 price target on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a research report on Monday, June 15th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on CenterPoint Energy from $48.00 to $47.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. KeyCorp decreased their target price on CenterPoint Energy from $47.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, BTIG Research initiated coverage on CenterPoint Energy in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CenterPoint Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $45.36.

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.